Secret Life of Trash Part 2

Posted on the 09 April 2011 by 2ndgreenrevolution @2ndgreenrev

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]