Retention in Landfill Composition of Residential Materials
Disposed of in Canada (2002). Source: Natural Resources Canada
Many people believe that plastics comprise the majority of all
municipal solid waste. This is simply not so. Studies have shown
that plastics make up approximately nine per cent of all
municipal solid waste by weight and 14-20 per cent by volume.
Although waste management practices, such as recycling and
reduction, will reduce the amount of waste going into landfill,
there will always be some material that cannot be disposed of
through these methods. Even energy recovery facilities end up
with some waste, albeit very small quantities. More often than
not, these residuals end up in a landfill environment. Contrary
to popular belief, very little degrades in a modern landfill.
Modern landfills are sited and operated to avoid wet conditions
and prevent as much biodegradation as possible. When organic
matter does degrade in landfills, one of the emissions is
methane gas (a greenhouse gas 21 tim