How many pounds of garbage does each US citizen produce a year and how much of that is packaging of a product?

Question

Please provide SOURCES for your answer! So I know if it's reliable. Thanks!

Answer 1

Depending on which source you believe, we toss away between 1000 and 3000 lbs per year per person.  The most common numbers are between 1000 and 1500 lbs per year.

Of this, roughly 800 lbs per year is plastic, and 60 percent of that is packaging.

Another source says roughly 30% of our trash is plastic packaging, and 34% is paper packaging, which would put our paper packaging trash at about 540 lbs per year (with 660 lbs of plastic packaging.)

Something to note is whether you include industrial waste in that figure - which might account for the wide difference in numbers.  We would be indirectly responsible for the industrial waste - since we use the final product eventually - but it wouldn't actually be picked up at our curbs.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Each of us generates on average approx 4.4 pounds of waste per day per person. According to the National Energy Education Development Project, Museum of Solid Waste , 2006 statistics : Containers and Packaging make up 32% of our trash weight, 27% by volume.

Answer 3

not sure, but i love burning plastic of all kinds.....   smells good!