Virginia overall waste volume declines in 2009

The state of Virginia reported the overall volume of waste entering its landfills declined by 11 percent in 2009. More significant was a 19 percent drop in wastes coming from other states, especially Maryland, its biggest customer, which sent 22 percent less waste.

Based on the facilities’ reports, a total of 19,559,757.69 tons of solid waste was received at Virginia’s permitted solid waste management facilities during calendar year 2009. Of this total, 14,209,245.40 tons originated in the Commonwealth and 5,350,512.29 tons originated from other jurisdictions.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) constituted 13,221,291.72 tons of the total amount of solid waste received during calendar year 2009. Of the total MSW received, 8,938,887.56 tons originated in the Commonwealth and 4,282,404.16 tons originated from other jurisdictions. Five jurisdictions accounted for 97.50 percent of all waste received from out-of-state sources: Maryland (40.42 percent); New York (24.74 percent); Washington, D.C. (19.99 percent); New Jersey (6.75 percent); and North Carolina (5.59 percent).

During calendar year 2009, the total solid waste, MSW, and construction-demolition-debris (CDD) waste received from out-of-state decreased by 19.06 percent, 15.87 percent, and 20.30 percent respectively, compared to 2008 amounts. Waste originating in Virginia during the same period, the total solid waste, MSW, and CDD received decreased by 7.75 percent, 9.43 percent and 8.88 percent respectively, compared to 2008 amounts.

Of the solid waste managed in Virginia during the year, 77.79 percent or 12,471,463.99 tons was landfilled on-site, 12.96 percent or 2,077,331.69 tons was incinerated on-site, and the rest was managed by other means. Of all solid waste received at Virginia facilities during the year, 67.59 percent was MSW, 16.26 percent was CDD waste, and the remainder was other types of waste.

Permitted solid waste management facilities reported that 6.59 percent of the waste they managed was diverted from disposal by recycling or mulching. Most recycling occurs at facilities other than permitted waste management facilities.

Based on the local government recycling reports, the statewide average recycling rate for calendar year 2008 was 38.5 percent, the same percentage reported in 2007. A report on the statewide recycling rate for calendar year 2009 will be issued later this year.

Among the different types of waste disposed, municipal solid waste (MSW), which comprises 68 percent of all waste disposed in the state, declined by 11 percent last year, followed by construction and demolition (C&D) wastes, that are 16.3 percent of the stream, which also declined by 11 percent.