SWANA Pledges its Support for Disasters, Estimates Given on Amount of Debris

Danielle Jackson

Silver Spring, Md. -- The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) recently pledged its support to help affected local governments in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., after the recent tragedies.

SWANA estimates that 1.25 million tons of demolition waste was generated in the fall of the World Trade Center towers and the attack on the Pentagon. According to SWANA, that accounts for nine times the amount of demolition waste generated in any one day in the United States.

Regarding its pledge of assistance, SWANA executive director and CEO John Skinner noted that "SWANA is ready and able to work with public and private sector municipal solid waste professionals and aid in the removal, recycling and disposal of these wastes."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reported that 450,000 tons of debris would have to be cleared from the twin towers and another 15,000 from the World Trade Center Building 7 that collapsed yesterday.