Information and Statistics

Resources and Links

• Cumberland County Solid Waste Management Plan (Revised June 2008)
• Visit other Solid Waste Management sites

Cumberland County Solid Waste Management offers:

• A drop-off Recycling Program.
• 17 collection sites for used oil.
• 17 collection sites for lead acid batteries.
• 2 collection sites for antifreeze.
• A household hazardous waste collection site for hazardous materials.
• C & D recycling/salvage/reuse that includes clean wood, brick, concrete, asphalt, and reuse of dirt for cover.
• Mulching of yard waste, pallets, and clean wood.
• An education program with take-home items (brochures, magnets, etc.), a telephone hotline, and special events (tours of the landfill, etc.).

Shop Smarter:

• Buy bulk goods to reduce waste packaging.
• Buy products in containers that are recyclable, and things that can be repaired or reused.
• Look for the recycling logo on products you buy. Such symbols identify recycled or recyclable products.
• Support recycling markets by buying products made from recycled material.

Reuse It:

• Buy cloth diapers, napkins, towels, and rags rather than disposable products. Buy sponges and rechargeable batteries -- anything that can be used again and again.
• Bring grocery bags back to the store for your next purchases.
• Use the blank back side of paper to take notes.
• Mend clothes and repair broken appliances.
• Reuse ziploc and other plastic food-storage bags.

Percentage of Cumberland County's entire waste stream:

• Residential: 57%
• Commercial: 17%
• Construction & Demolition: 18%
• Industrial: 8%

Interesting Facts about Decomposition Times:

• Aluminum cans - 100 to 500 years
• Banana peel - up to 6 months
• Cigarette filters - 15 years
• Glass - never
• Plastic - 50 to 70 years
• Rubber - never
• Styrofoam cup - 10 to 20 years
• Tin or steel cans - 100 years
• Wax paper cup - 5 years
• Wooden stakes - 4 years

Recycling Tonnages

• Aluminum Cans: 14.95
• Cardboard: 133.78
• Carpet/Padding: 4.68
• Commingled Textiles: 2.26
• Glass: 1.40
• Metal: 2,050.13
• Newspaper: 263.67
• Paper: .89
• Plastic: 40.16
• White Goods: 634.28
• Wood (not from yard waste): 23.10
• Textiles: 78.78
• Tires: 134.99
• Total Tons: 3,383.07

Recycling Facts:

• Americans represent only 5 percent of the world's population, but produce over 50 percent of the world's trash.
• Packaging accounts for 10-15 percent (sometimes more than 50 percent) of the cost of a product and 50 percent of all consumer waste.
• The energy saved by recycling one aluminum can is enough to keep a 100-watt light bulb burning about 3 1/2 hours.
• For every ton of crushed glass recycled, 1.2 tons of raw materials are saved.
• Each ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees.
• A baby may use 10,000 diapers in the first three years of life. Disposable diapers take up as much as 2 percent of our landfills.