Study finds plastics packaging helps reduce solid waste

From Recycling Today

A new study by the Earth Engineering Center at City College of New York (EEC|CCNY) finds that plastics play a role in creating an environment where municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates decline, even when income and consumption rises.

Historically, the amount of MSW produced by a country or region rises with the economy or personal consumption expenditures (PCE). In the mid-1990s, the rate of MSW generation stopped tracking along with PCE in the United States and began to slow. This phenomenon is known as decoupling, EEC says. In 2010, the amount of waste produced in the U.S. declined despite a rise in consumer spending.

The study’s authors attribute the decoupling to the increased use of plastic in packaging.

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