Data and Reports

What’s in our trash?  Unfortunately, a lot of recyclables!  To find out what waste is going to the landfill, waste audits are conducted.  Waste audits help assess if all recyclables are making it into the Blue Bin and how to re-evaluate recycling educational messages.  Our latest waste audit was conducted in 2018 and it found that nearly half of everyday St. Louis waste is recyclable. That means around 40% of recyclables are going to the landfill. However, when we look at the tonnage of trash versus recycling, St. Louis is only recycling about 10%.  St. Louis installed recycling dumpsters and rollcarts in 2011. Our recycling tonnage has been increasing as more people are participating in the recycling program.

Based on a 2016-2017 Statewide Waste Composition Study.