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Plastic Products Weights in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by Category

Table A3.    xls   pdf   format
Table A3. Plastic Products Weights in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by Category, 2005
(Thousand Tons)
Resin Generation Recovery Discards
PET  2,860 540 2,320
HDPE  5,890 520 5,370
PVC  1,640 NA 1,640
LDPE/LLDPE  6,450 190 6,260
PP  4,000 10 3,990
PS  2,590 NA 2,590
Other resins  5,480 390 5,090
Total Plastics in MSW  28,910 1,650 27,260
  Notes: Some detail of recovery by resin omitted due to lack of data. This table understates the recovery of plastics due to the dispersed nature of plasticsrecycling activities.  Discards includes all MSW material available for combustionwith energy recovery, discards to landfill, and other disposal.  For explanation of plastics abbreviations see Appendix C.
  Source: Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal Solid Waste in the United States, 2005.  http://www.epa.gov/msw/msw99.htm