Garbage starts mostly as items purchased and consumed. For example, when you purchase a box of cereal from a grocery store, you throw away any leftover cereal and its packaging into your kitchen's garbage can. In 2009, according to the EPA, 243 million tons of trash was created by Americans before recycling. About 55 to 60 percent of that waste was from residential homes, while 35 to 45 percent was from businesses, including schools and hospitals.
The majority of the waste material is packaging. According to the EPA, in 2009 paper products made up most of the waste materials at 28.2 percent before any recycling. Containers and packaging materials in general made up 29.5 percent of the total amount of waste. Non-durable goods such as shoes and clothing made up 22 percent of waste. Durable goods such as toys and home appliances made up 19.2 percent of garbage, while food scraps were at 14.1 percent and yard trimmings were 13.7 percent. Each American generated an average of 4.34 pounds of garbage in 2009.
Waste materials are placed outside in municipal or private garbage cans. In 2009, 82 million tons of waste was recycled, but the rest was picked up by a garbage trucks or incinerated. Garbage trucks are contracted by the city or by private businesses to load garbage and haul them to landfills or to trains and barges that travel to landfills. The average garbage trucks carries up to 1,215 cubic feet of garbage, according to "Waste Management Practices" by John Pichtel.
Landfills are regulated structures that are designed to hold waste materials and prevent contamination into the environment. According to the EPA, the United States has more than 7,000 landfills. Above the landfill's bottom liner, cells hold up to 20 acres of garbage, according to Interstate Waste Services. A sump area collects any liquids that may form separate from the landfill's storm drainage. As bacteria builds us, gases are produced from the lack of oxygen and methane collection systems collect the gases. Six inches of compacted soil cover each day's waste, and covers or caps are placed over each waste cell.