The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the history of solid-waste management (SWM).n New York City, U.S., which was the first city to start refuse collection and establish a recycling center in the late 1890s. The first sanitary landfill was established in 1937 in California, but until...

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Main Author: William F. Ritter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia.edu Journals 2024-02-01
Series:Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
Online Access:https://www.academia.edu/115119650/History_of_Landfill_And_Landfill_Gas_Management_In_The_United_States
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author William F. Ritter
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author_sort William F. Ritter
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description The purpose of this article is to discuss the history of solid-waste management (SWM).n New York City, U.S., which was the first city to start refuse collection and establish a recycling center in the late 1890s. The first sanitary landfill was established in 1937 in California, but until the 1960s, many open dumps remained. In 1965, the Solid Waste Disposal Act was passed which was the first major legislation governing SWM. In 1976, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was passed and amended in 1984. The 1984 amendments gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate landfills and establish new criteria for landfills which resulted in closure of 50% of the existing landfills. Municipal solid waste (MSW) increased from 79.9 million tonne in 1960 to 261.8 million tonne in 2018. California has 300 landfills and 56 landfill gas (LFG) projects. Recycling rates vary considerably among the states. Eight out the top ten states with high recycling rates have high landfill costs, and nine of the top ten states with high recycling rates also have bottle bill legislation that requires a deposit on bottles. Sates with low recycling rates also have low landfill fees for solid waste.
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spelling doaj-art-16e04d1998284abca57d1ed66f694a382025-02-11T23:17:24ZengAcademia.edu JournalsAcademia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability2997-60062024-02-011110.20935/AcadEnvSci6163The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.William F. Ritter0University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA. The purpose of this article is to discuss the history of solid-waste management (SWM).n New York City, U.S., which was the first city to start refuse collection and establish a recycling center in the late 1890s. The first sanitary landfill was established in 1937 in California, but until the 1960s, many open dumps remained. In 1965, the Solid Waste Disposal Act was passed which was the first major legislation governing SWM. In 1976, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was passed and amended in 1984. The 1984 amendments gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate landfills and establish new criteria for landfills which resulted in closure of 50% of the existing landfills. Municipal solid waste (MSW) increased from 79.9 million tonne in 1960 to 261.8 million tonne in 2018. California has 300 landfills and 56 landfill gas (LFG) projects. Recycling rates vary considerably among the states. Eight out the top ten states with high recycling rates have high landfill costs, and nine of the top ten states with high recycling rates also have bottle bill legislation that requires a deposit on bottles. Sates with low recycling rates also have low landfill fees for solid waste.https://www.academia.edu/115119650/History_of_Landfill_And_Landfill_Gas_Management_In_The_United_States
spellingShingle William F. Ritter
The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
title The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
title_full The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
title_fullStr The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
title_full_unstemmed The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
title_short The history of landfills and landfill gas management in the U.S.
title_sort history of landfills and landfill gas management in the u s
url https://www.academia.edu/115119650/History_of_Landfill_And_Landfill_Gas_Management_In_The_United_States
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