Michigan has been named as the US state with the most waste in landfills per capita, with 68.3 tonnes per capita – 72.1% above the national average, a new study has found.
Overall, there are 685 million tonnes of trash in Michigan’s landfills, according to the study by IT Asset Management Group (IT-AMG), which analysed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on landfill utilisation, and graded each state by landfill waste per capita.
In second place, Indiana boasts 60.4 tonnes of waste in landfills per capita, 52.2% more than the national average, while in third, Illinois has 56.6 tonnes of waste in landfills per capita.
The national average across the entire United States in terms of landfill waste per capita is 39.7 tonnes.
The rest of the top ten includes Pennsylvania, with 56.1 tonnes of waste in landfills per capita, Ohio, with 53.8 tonnes of waste in landfills per capita, California (51.2 tonnes), Wisconsin (50.2 tonnes), Nevada (482 tonnes), Colorado (47.9 tonnes) and Kentucky, which has 47.8 tonnes of waste in landfills per capita.
Managing waste
“Landfills are an integral part of modern waste management, although they might not be the most efficient way of managing waste,” commented Richy George, chief revenue officer of IT Asset Management Group (IT-AMG).
“Once waste has reached landfill, it becomes much more difficult to be reused or recycled. Landfills can pose severe environmental hazards, such as methane gas pockets and groundwater pollution, if not properly managed, as well as the significant amounts of land and resources that must be dedicated to maintaining a landfill.
“Electronic waste can provide significant environmental risks if not properly disposed of. It can also mean a lot of lost value if e-waste goes to landfill due to how difficult it becomes to recover the valuable materials that make up a significant part of e-waste. Where possible, electronic waste should be disposed of properly to minimise its environmental impact by allowing it to either be reused or recycled.
“The downsides of landfills prompted us to see which states have the most waste in landfills on average, with Michigan coming out on top.”
Top 20 US States Ranked in Terms of Landfill Waste per Capita
| Rank | State | Waste in Landfills per Capita (tns) | Difference to U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 68.3 | +72.1% |
| 2 | Indiana | 60.4 | +52.2% |
| 3 | Illinois | 56.6 | +42.7% |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 56.1 | +41.4% |
| 5 | Ohio | 53.8 | +35.6% |
| 6 | California | 51.2 | +29% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 50.2 | +26.6% |
| 8 | Nevada | 48.2 | +21.5% |
| 9 | Colorado | 47.9 | +20.7% |
| 10 | Kentucky | 47.8 | +20.6% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 44.6 | +12.4% |
| 12 | Kansas | 44.0 | +10.9% |
| 13 | Virginia | 43.8 | +10.4% |
| 14 | Louisiana | 43.2 | +8.8% |
| 15 | Oregon | 41.6 | +5% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 40.6 | +2.4% |
| 17 | Alabama | 39.9 | +0.6% |
| 18 | Texas | 38.9 | -1.8% |
| 19 | Tennessee | 38.3 | -3.4% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 38.3 | -3.6% |
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