scope:

Municipal solid waste (MSW), also called trash, garbage, refuse and rubbish, is the stuff we throw away everyday. In our trash are everyday items such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspaper, appliances, and batteries that we do not need any more. MSW is generated by people and by businesses. Not counted as MSW are other discarded materials such as construction and demolition debris, municipal wastewater treatment sludge, and non-hazardous industrial wastes. Although these materials often end up in MSW landfills, they can also be sent to non-MSW landfills for disposal.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2008 (December 2009), Paper and paperboard products are the largest component in the trash we generate (31.0%) followed by yard trimmings (13.2%), food waste (12.7%), plastic (12.0%), metals (8.4%), wood (6.6%), glass (4.9%), rubber/leather/textiles (7.9%) and other materials (3.3%).