Last fall CNBC aired “Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Trash.” On occasion they re-air the exposĂŠ. First there are some overall facts to keep in mind. According to the program, there are approximately 2,300 landfills in the United States and it is a $52 billion, that’s billion with a “b,” dollar a year industry. This is the second set of Five Friday Facts from this data. Click here for the previous one.
These facts come from the show:
- In the US, operating, closing, creating, and constructing a landfill is $1 million per acre (much of which goes to protecting the environment).
- China now produces more garbage than any other nation.
- Beijing’s ten state run landfills will be full by 2014.
- BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) plant in Spartanburg, SC runs on methane burned from nearby landfill which saves the company $7 million a year.
- Waste Management’s CEO estimates that the company can extract $10 billion worth of materials from the waste stream, which would nearly double their revenue.
[Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art]
