Drowning in a Sea of Waste
By Maxx Kumiski, 12th grade
November 25, 2005

* 2005 RMT Writing Contest Winner *

The United States is drowning in a sea of waste. The U.S. passed legislation in 1970 establishing a National Environmental Policy, but since then there have been almost no effective efforts controlling waste. There is no government effort to create sustainable markets for recyclables. There is no national ban or limit on the amount of waste, compost, or recyclables anyone can put into landfills. There is no limit on the amount of waste imported from other countries. The EPA does not even track waste that is generated, imported, or disposed of in the U.S. According to Biocycle magazine, in 2002 the total waste produced increased by 26,435,000 tons. The lack of federal regulation on waste and recycling, importation of waste, and overpopulation are the biggest reasons America is drowning in waste.

The lack of federal regulations on waste is a huge problem not only for Americans but also for the states and their municipalities. While the federal government does require a state to have a solid waste management plan, it does not enforce it. Therefore, many states have no such plan. The federal government took ultimate responsibility for the nation’s waste management in The Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1976. The act requires states to develop and implement plans maximizing recycling and minimizing waste, but after 26 years, the states have not yet complied, and the EPA is not enforcing the Act. Many states point to the lack of a comprehensive federal waste and recycling plan as the reason they cannot successfully implement their own plans. The recyclers are not gaining much ground because recycling is voluntary and there is not very much support. This problem could be fixed by making the federal government implement regulations concerning the types of waste that can be incinerated and the types of waste that can be recycled.

Disposal bans may be the best way to support recycling and end waste disposal. States may implement such bans now, without waiting for federal action. They can begin by banning decomposable, such as food and yard waste, which can be put into decomposition piles. Secondly, states could set minimum recycled content standards, ensuring markets for recyclables. With markets ensured, recyclables could be banned from landfills. Finally, hazardous waste materials should be stored until they can be safely and properly disposed of.

Importation of waste is a way for suffering municipalities to ease taxes and other costs. Many states complain that waste imports undercut waste reduction and recycling. For the last several years, states have looked to proposed federal legislation that promises states protection from imports. The legislation will not fully ease the states’ problems because it accounts for only “unwanted” wastes.

Also, the importation of the waste by municipalities—if agreement has been made between the municipality and the waste management company—is not prohibited. This means that waste management companies would seek out disadvantaged municipalities and take advantage of them.

Finally, there is no limit on other types of disposal waste that can be imported from other states or nations. Only municipal waste will be affected by this legislation. That may account for as little as 20 percent of all waste disposed of in a state. Since 1997, the 50 states have imported 48 million tons more waste than they exported, according to data in Biocycle magazine, an industry publication. Only congressional laws that specifically ban all imported waste will ease this unbelievable flow of waste into our nation’s landfills.

America ’s overpopulation is another leading cause in the over-abundance of waste in America. As of 2002 each person in the U.S. generated a little under one ton of waste a year. With a population of around 300 million, that total comes to about 300 million tons of waste produced in the U.S. yearly. That is a whole lot of trash. With only about 30 percent of it being recycled, before we know it, we will be swimming in waste. The ideal population in terms of waste management is 100 to 150 million people.

I believe that the U.S. government must do something to control waste management in the U.S. The cost to public health and natural resources is incalculable. I would like to breathe fresh air and drink clean water until the day I die. We should do whatever it takes to eliminate waste. A healthy and clean environment—let these be our legacy.

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