Back to Goal 21From Measures and Milestones 2002
p. 62-63, published 2002
Recycling—the wise use and reuse of our resources—is key to achieving the goal of a clean, healthy environment. Citizens assign minimal importance to this goal, ranking it 22nd in importance but 9th in terms of progress.
Table 1: Where Citizens Think We Stand
Kentucky per capita garbage disposal was estimated at 5.5 pounds per person per day in 1999, compared to a national municipal rate of 6.1 pounds per person. Municipal solid waste includes durable and nondurable goods, containers, food scraps, yard waste, and other wastes from residential, commercial, and industrial sources. In fiscal year 1998-99, 4.87 million tons of waste were disposed of at solid waste municipal landfills in Kentucky. About 536,250 tons, or 11 percent of the total disposed, were imported from out of state.
Figure 1: Disposal of Solid Waste at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in Kentucky
A waste may be classified as hazardous if it exhibits certain characteristics, including ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic. A list of over 500 specific hazardous wastes has been developed. In 1998, the most recent year for which data are available, 377 large-quantity generators in Kentucky produced 182,262 tons of hazardous waste which included ignitable wastes such as gasoline, mineral spirits, and paint thinners; cleaning solvents; and other chemical and toxic wastes. The top 10 generators accounted for 69 percent of the waste generated in Kentucky during 1998. Over the 1991-1996 period, hazardous waste generation in Kentucky averaged 400,000 tons per year. However, in 1997 and 1998, the generation of hazardous waste dropped by more than half.
Figure 2: Hazardous Waste Generation in Kentucky
Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the 20th century, a possible explanation for the relative unimportance Kentuckians assign to this goal. In 1999, 106 counties had recycling drop-off centers (some had more than one), 51 had composting facilities, and 35 counties had one or more communities with door-to-door recycling collection programs. An estimated 1.8 tons of recyclable materials were collected during 1999, according to county solid waste reports. Counties also reported that 3.3 million waste tires were collected for recycling or reuse. That year, 734,603 tires were collected under the state’s tire amnesty program to be used beneficially as required by state law.
Figure 3: Recycling Facilities and Programs, Kentucky, 1995-1999
Survey data show that the recycling efforts of Kentuckians have remained relatively the same since the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center began tracking these efforts. Three surveys conducted in the fall of 1996, 1998, and 2000 asked Kentucky residents, “Does your household recycle items like glass containers, plastic containers, cans, or newspapers?” As shown, the percentage of persons answering yes to this question has consistently been around 70 percent in the years asked.
Figure 4: Kentucky Households That Recycle, 1996, 1998, and 2000
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