This indicator is part of Integrated waste management.

Indicator description:

This indicator, representing the waste stream produced by residents, measures how many tons of solid waste are generated per household per year, based on data collected by the City of Albuquerque. The City defines the waste stream produced by residents as the total tons of residential curbside refuse collected plus the total tons collected at the three city convenience centers. The result is then divided by the number of household accounts served. In order to maximize the number of peer Southwest communities’ comparisons to Albuquerque, FY/07 data are presented.

Why is this indicator relevant?

When communities reuse and recycle, the construction and utilization of new landfills is avoided. Landfills are difficult to site, costly, and can be hazardous to our health and the environment. Residential waste represents approximately 40% of the waste that is annually disposed in the City's Cerro Colorado landfill. Since 2001, the amount of residential waste collected has risen 26%, while the number of households served has increased 22% over the same period. For this same time period, commercial waste collected has increased 5%. Since 2003, the number of residential customers with more than one trash container has risen 43%, which represents 10% of all households in 2007. Although the volume of residential waste disposal in the landfill is less than the commercial waste stream, it is growing at a much faster rate. In contrast, from 2001 to 2008, curbside recycling increased 14%, and yet this increase only represented 4% of the total residential waste stream (see Indicator 34.2).

Data Sources:
City of Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Department; International City County Management Association (ICMA), Comparative Performance Measurement Report, FY/07.

What can we tell from the data?

• Albuquerque’s residential waste tons collected per account is 108% higher than Ft. Worth’s—the lowest peer community—and 47% lower than Mesa—the highest peer community. Albuquerque is similar to the national average for jurisdictions with populations above 100,000.
• Although there have been periods in which waste generated per household have leveled off (i.e. FY/01-FY/03 and FY/05-FY/07), the overall trend in disposal is increasing over the last seven fiscal years.
• In Albuquerque, residential waste is the fastest growing component of the waste stream. Since 2003, the number of residential customers with more than one trash container has risen 43%.

For Help in understanding this page, see Understanding Indicators.