Washington

Statistics and Rankings

The 16th Nationwide Survey of MSW Management in the United States found that, in 2006, Washington had an estimated 8,313,340 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, placing it 17th in a survey of the 50 states and the capital district. Based on the 2006 population of 6,374,910, an estimated 1.3 tons of MSW were generated per person per year (ranking 21st). Washington land-filled 5,262,632 tons (ranking 20th) in its 16 landfills, and it was ranked 26th out of 44 respondent states for number of landfills. The state exported 1,361,802 tons of MSW and imported 167,819 tons. Washington has three waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities, which processed 325,398 tons of MSW (16th out of 32 respondents). It recycled 2,725,310 tons of MSW, placing Washington 15th in the ranking of recycled MSW tonnage. Landfill tipping fees across Washington were an average $45.30 per ton, where the cheapest and most expensive average landfill fees in the United States were $15 and $96, respectively.

Disposal Sites

Garbage is often dumped in low-lying places or places that are out of sight; throwing trash into waterways meets both of these criteria. Washington is unusual in that a number of underwater trash dumps have been recognized and investigated. The underwater deposition has exciting implications in that it preserves materials, such as wood and basketwork, which would not ordinarily survive in a dry land trash deposit. Prehistoric examples include the 3,000-year-old Hoko River wet site in Clallam County, the 2,000-year-old Biderbost site in Snohomish County, and the 1,000-year-old Munks Creek in Skagit County. Hoko River is a fishing camp that was used by Native Americans of the Makah people for hundreds of years; the Biderbost site is a fish weir; and Muck Creek is a riverbank site.

Underwater historic dumped trash deposits are plentiful and usually considered to be part of the land sites they are associated with (although this is also often the case with prehistoric sites). These deposits include bottle dumps, can dumps, construction and demolition dumps, and household refuse. Artifacts ranging from the 1840s to World War II have been recovered from underwater trash deposits near the Fort Vancouver dock on the Columbia River.

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