This report describes the national waste stream based on data collected from 1960 through 1994. The historical perspective provided by the data is useful for establishing trends in types of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated and in the ways that MSW is managed.

This report includes information on:

1. MSW generation, recovery, and disposal from 1960 to 1994;
2. Per capita generation and discard rates;
3. Residential/commercial portions of MSW generation;
4. Trends in MSW management, including recovery for recycling and composting, as well as combustion and landfilling, from 1960 to 1994;
5. The role of source reduction in MSW management;
6. Projections for MSW generation and management through 2010; and
7. Potential climate change implications of various MSW strategies.

The Report is provide as both an ASCII text file and as a set of Adobe Acrobat PDF Files:

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1995 Update