New statistics show California landfill tonnage dropping yet again
- July 1, 2013
- By Jim Johnson
Californians, for the seventh year in a row, are throwing away less and less garbage in landfills.
New statistics from the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, also known as CalRecycle, shows that 29.3 million tons of trash were disposed statewide last year. That's 4.3 pounds per day per person and a slight reduction from the 4.4 pounds per day per person in 2011 when 29.9 million tons were disposed. The population also increased from 37.4 million in 2011 to 37.7 million last year.
"Each incremental step in waste diversion puts the state closer to our goal of 75% recycling," said CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen in a statement. "The public is doing its part by being conscious of what we throw out and thinking about recycling and reuse. We at CalRecycle will continue to do our part by supporting recycling businesses and other waste diversion infrastructure that create green jobs and help achieve our goal."
Last year's disposal decrease continues a downward trend started in 2005 when 42.5 million tons of waste were discarded, the state said.
The vast majority of waste, 99%, went to California landfills and about 1% was exported to out-of-state landfills, CalRecycle said.
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