Although the volume of waste generated across the U.S. and worldwide grows each year, there are still insufficient waste management solutions, such as landfills or comprehensive recycling, to counter the negative effects this amount of waste can have on the environment. According to World Bank statistics (http://dtn.fm/sWI0j), there are currently over 1.3 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated on a global scale, and this number is expected to almost double in the next decade, reaching 2.2 billion tons by 2025. This increase represents a significant hike in per capita generation rates, from 2.6 to 3.13 kilograms per person per day by 2025.
The figure varies from one region to another, depending directly on affluence, local income, industrialization, state of economy and other factors. The United States, for instance, is responsible for approximately 258 million tons of MSW, according to 2014 figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to Duke University statistics (http://dtn.fm/P84nA), the average person in the U.S. generates more than 4.3 pounds of waste per day. Of this, approximately 55 percent – or roughly 136 million tons in 2014 – is landfilled. The rest is either recycled (89 million tons were recycled and composted in 2014, or approximately 34.6 percent) or combusted with energy recovery (about 33 million tons).
Nowadays in the U.S. there are considerably fewer landfills than a couple of decades ago, but the ones still active need to be fully in line with EPA imposed standards to limit the volume of methane emissions as much as possible. Responsible landfill operators such as Florida-based National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTC: NWMH) are already exploring various ways to limit the impact of landfill operations on the environment by including efficient on-site sorting lines and recycling facilities to ensure that only the appropriate kind of waste is landfilled and that anything that can be recycled and recovered – mostly construction & demolition debris – will be.
Located in Hernando, Florida, and also servicing Citrus and Marion counties, National Waste Management Holdings’ 54-acre landfill disposes of about 240,000 cubic yards of C&D debris per year. Operating with the local Department of Environmental Protection’s permit, the landfill is a C&D waste disposal leader on Florida’s west coast, reflecting the company’s strong commitment to working for a cleaner environment. For this purpose, National Waste Management Holdings has changed its business model to make recycling the focus of all its services and also has plans to set up a portable sorting line at the landfill this year in an effort to increase recycling rates.
The landfill operates in strict compliance with Department of Environmental Protection standards and does not accept any kind of material that fails to respect these standards. Approved C&D waste that is received and considered for recycling includes asphalt; brick; lumber and wood; drywall and plaster; dirt, sand and uncontaminated soil; pallets; roofing materials; metal materials; glass; electrical wiring and components; non-asbestos insulation; and more. Any hazardous waste is prohibited, along with residential garbage and putrescible waste; mercury-based devices; gas tanks; auto parts; oil containers; biomedical waste; asbestos; contaminated soil; industrial waste; and more.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.nationalwastemgmt.com
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