This book examines the facts and trends in municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States. Our trash, or municipal solid waste (MSW), is made up of the things we commonly use and then throw away. The EPA has collected and reported data on the generation and disposal of waste in the United States for more than thirty years. This information is used to measure the success of waste reduction and recycling programs across the country. In 2008, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled and composted 83 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 33.2 percent recycling rate.