US landfill capacity to drop 15% over next 5 years
By Kristin Musulin, Waste Dive.
- Over the next five years, total U.S. landfill capacity is expected to decrease by more than 15%, according to data from Waste Business Journal. An estimated 10-15 years of landfill capacity will remain by 2021.
- Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol (SWEEP) leaders Jim Thompson and Rob Watson cite China's volatile import regulations as a major driver for this decrease in capacity, noting that "the bottom has dropped out of the recycling market."
- The data shows the Northeast is most heavily affected, with an annual rate of loss of 5%, while the West is the least affected, with an annual rate of loss of 1.5%.