Study: Americans Doubling EPA Waste Estimate

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – How often do you have to take out the trash?

Americans are apparently sending about twice as much garbage to landfills as the federal government has estimated.

A new survey by Yale University found America tosses about five pounds of trash per person into landfills every day.

In 2012 the Yale team calculated that 294 million tons of waste was sent to landfills, compared with the 135 million tons estimated by the EPA.

The survey also shows that Americans may not be recycling as much.

The EPA estimate was about 35 percent of Americans recycled. The Yale study estimated it was just over 21 percent.

In:
• Environmental Protection Agency