Waste in America, by the numbers

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1 · Where

Every state and territory has documented waste problems

States with the most findings

Highest-scored findings

2 · What

Landfills lead, but fires, ash and hazardous waste follow close behind

3 · How severe

How the findings score

Findings by severity level

Severity mix within each category

4 · When

Most problems surfaced in the last two years

Findings by the quarter they were first documented

5 · The biggest stories

The findings that score highest

6 · The national picture

Fires, falling prices and weaker oversight

7 · Where trash travels

Waste crosses state lines by truck and train

Each arrow is a flow documented in a finding. Select an arrow to open it. For tonnage between states, net balances and every landfill, see the waste flows map.

8 · The law

How states treat waste as a manufacturing feedstock

See every state's law and the materials it covers

Every number on this page is computed from the published findings, or quoted from the finding it links to. See the methodology and credits.