Virginia's Solid Waste Drops 2.3 Percent in 2012

The volume of solid waste Virginia received in 2012 decreased by 2.3 percent, or 470,000 tons, from the previous year, according to a state study.

Solid waste from outside Virginia also dropped, by 3.4 percent, or 190,000 tons, to 5.4 million tons, the Richmond-based Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) said in a news release.

Within Virginia the amount of solid waste declined 1.9 percent to about 14.9 million tons.

Of the 20.3 million tons of solid waste reported in 2012, about 11.9 million tons, or 58.9 percent, was municipal solid waste (MSW).

The amount of MSW generated outside Virginia fell 4.6 percent to about 3.7 million tons. Maryland, New York, Washington, D.C., New Jersey and North Carolina accounted for 97.7 percent of waste received from out-of-state sources, the DEQ reported.

About 74 percent of the solid waste managed in Virginia in 2012 was disposed of in landfills, and 12.8 percent was incinerated.