THE IMPACT OF WASTE DISPOSAL:
LANDFILL, INCINERATE, OR RECYCLE?

In order to fully measure the environmental impact of recycling versus disposal to landfills, it is necessary to perform a system wide analysis that encompasses the full scope of each activity, from material collection, sorting, and treatment to differences in costs between manufacturing with virgin materials and manufacturing with recycled materials.  It is necessary to consider, for example, that the disposal of an aluminum can has far-reaching results - it becomes necessary to refine more aluminum from virgin materials, costing energy and creating atmospheric emissions.  On the other hand, recycling results in the consumption of less energy, effectively contributing energy to the system.  Furthermore, recycling prevents the disposal of solid wastes and emission of chemicals associated with manufacturing process.

If you Landfill 100% of Your Waste for a Year:

• You produce 1,642.75 lbs. of solid waste.
• You consume 4.35 x 10⁵ Btu.
• Your atmospheric emissions:
     

  CO2	260.42 lb
  CO	0.80 lb
  CH4	101.01 lb
  NOX	.082 lb
  SO2	0.11 lb
  Airborne metals	0.318 lb
  Waterborne metals	4.9 x 10-4 lb

   

If you Incinerate 100% of Your Waste for a Year:

• You produce 366.36 lbs of solid waste, consisting primarily of ash residue
• You decrease energy consumption by 3.88 x 10⁶ Btu - enough to power the average household for two weeks.
• Your atmospheric emissions:
   

  CO2	804.09 lb
  CO	0.657 lb

  

   

• You prevent the emission of:
   

  CH4	0.0035 lb
  NOX	.18 lb
  SO2	4.68 lb

• You emit the following metals:
   

  Cadmium	1.076 x 10-5 lb
  Mercury	1.4454 x 10-3 lb
  Lead	1.0923 x 10-4 lb

If You Recycle 100% of Your Waste for a Year:

• In addition to diverting your solid waste from disposal, you prevent the disposal of a further 683.12 lb of solid waste that would be produced in the manufacturing and refining processes.
• You decrease energy consumption by 13.39 x 10⁶ Btu - enough to power the average household for seven weeks.

• You prevent the emission of:
   

  CO2	2,048.44 lb
  CO	20.70 lb

   

• You prevent the emission of:
   

  CH4	0.0082 lb
  NOX	7.72 lb
  SO2	8.95 lb

• You emit the following metals:
   

  Cadmium	1.41 x 10-9 lb
  Mercury	5.57 x 10-9 lb
  Lead	7.38 x 10-9 lb

• The average person recycles 229.95 lb/year of paper, saving 1.31 x 10⁶ Btu.
• The average person recycles 147.17 lb/year of glass, saving 1.69 x 10⁵ Btu.
• The average person recycles 16.09 lb/year of aluminum saving 1.42 x 10⁶ Btu.
• The average person recycles 39.09 lb/year of steel, saving 2.23 x 10⁵ Btu.
• The average recycling rate nationwide is 28%, nearly double the 1990 recycling rate.
• The National Recycling Commission has made a calculator available to aid in estimating the environmental benefits of recycling.  It is available at www.wastecapwi.org/Environmental_calculator/NRC_calculator.pdf.htm

From The Role of Recycling in Integrated Solid Waste Management to the Year 2000, Franklin Associates (1994), Stamford, CT:  Keep America Beatiful.