7 U.S. states will exhaust landfill capacity within 5 years

Municipal waste managers and local governments in seven U.S. states face landfill capacity exhaustion within five years, with one additional state reaching capacity in 5-10 years and three more in 11-20 years. When local landfills close, waste must be transported to distant facilities, dramatically increasing costs. Average U.S. landfill tipping fees jumped 10% in a single year, from $56.80/ton in 2023 to $62.28/ton in 2024, with the Northeast already at $80.67/ton. New York City, after closing Fresh Kills in 2001, now ships garbage to landfills in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, adding transportation emissions and costs. The people who pay are municipal taxpayers through higher waste collection fees and residents near recipient landfills who absorb another city's garbage. The problem persists because siting new landfills is politically toxic -- no community wants one -- and permitting takes 7-10 years even when a site is identified. Meanwhile, the U.S. recycles only about 32% of its municipal solid waste, sending the remaining 68% to landfills or incinerators with minimal diversion infrastructure investment.