Global municipal solid waste continues to grow.

• Position: Ecology

Growing prosperity and urbanization could double--to 2,600,000,000 tons--the volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually until 2025, challenging environmental and public health management in the world's cities, although some of this waste eventually is recycled, reveals research by the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C.

As defined in the report, MSW consists of organic material, paper, plastic, glass, metals, and other refuse collected by municipal authorities, largely from homes, offices, institutions, and commercial establishments. MSW is a subset of the larger universe of waste and typically does not include material collected outside of formal municipal programs--nor does it include the sewage, industrial waste, or construction and demolition waste generated by cities. MSW is measured before disposal, and data on it often includes collected material that later is diverted for recycling.

MSW tends to be generated in much higher quantities in wealthier regions around the globe. Members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 industrialized nations, lead the world in MSW generation, at nearly 1,600,000 tons per day.

The list of top 10 MSW-generating countries includes four developing nations (Brazil, China, India, and Mexico) in part because of the size of their urban populations and in part because their city dwellers are prospering and adopting high-consumption lifestyles. The U.S. leads the...