Reports, Case Studies & Assessments The Impact of Municipal Solid Waste Management on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the United States Published 2016 Share SHARE Facebook share Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email Download Download impact_of_msw_man_on_ghg_emissions_in_the_us.pdf en Added on: 01 June, 2016 Breadcrumb Home Resource Library The Impact of Municipal Solid Waste Management On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In The United States Technological advancements, environmental regulations, and emphasis on resource conservation and recovery have greatly reduced the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, including emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study was conducted using a life-cycle methodology to track changes in GHG emissionsduring the past 25 years from the management of MSW in the United States.The results of the study indicate that the MSW management actions taken by U.S. communities have significantly reduced potential GHG emissions despite an almost 2-fold increase in waste generation. GHG emissions from MSW management were estimated to be 36 million metric tons carbon equivalents (MMTCE) in 1974 and 8 MMTCE in 1997. If MSW were being managed today as it was in 1974, GHG emissions would be ~60 MMTCE.