Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Southeast

The American experience with municipal solid waste has created a serious dilemma. As a nation we are producing increasing quantities of solid waste, while our capability to handle and dispose of the waste shrinks. This paper explores municipal solid waste management in the southeastern U.S. Using the results of a mail questionnaire to state-level solid waste managers, the research examines and compares waste management strategies across the region and in other parts of the country. Past, present, and near-term future solid waste management practices are presented. Nationally, a growing reliance on extra-territorial waste disposal, both intra- and interstate, has been documented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The importance of extra-territorial waste disposal in the Southeast is examined. The research findings indicate that states in the region are following the national trend away from sanitary landfilling and that "green" (composting and recycling) strategies are growing in adoption, but that southeastern states are behind other states in these trends. Only small quantities of municipal waste are transferred among southeastern states. However, the region is an attractive destination for solid waste from states outside the Southeast. Because of these issues solid waste management in this region is likely to remain a continuous public policy issue.