Michigan Tops List of States With Most Landfill Waste

Data recently gathered by IT Asset Management Group (IT-AMG), a technology equipment disposal company, has revealed that the state of Michigan has the most waste in landfills per capita in America.

With 68.3 tons of waste in landfills per capita, Michigan is 72.1% above the national average of 39.7 tons of waste in landfills per capita. Overall, there are 685 million tons of waste in Michigan’s landfills.

Indiana came in second place, with 60.4 tons of waste in landfills per capita—52.2% more than the national average. Overall, Indiana has 412.5 million tons of waste in its landfills.

Illinois followed in third place, with 56.6 tons of waste in landfills per capita. Illinois has 42.7% more waste in landfills per capita compared to the national average, with 712.1 million tons of waste, overall.

Richy George, IT-AMG chief revenue officer, commented, “Landfills are an integral part of modern waste management, although they might not be the most efficient way of managing waste. Once waste has reached landfill, it becomes much more difficult to be reused or recycled. Landfills can pose severe environmental hazards, such as methane gas pockets and groundwater pollution, if not properly managed, as well as the significant amounts of land and resources that must be dedicated to maintaining a landfill. The downsides of landfills prompted us to see which states have the most waste in landfills on average, with Michigan coming out on top.”