Due to the idea that the United States is among the world’s largest producers of waste, waste management is an important industry in the country. The waste management industry in the United States is responsible for a variety of waste types, such as municipal waste, toxic pollution, and hazardous waste. Several of the largest waste disposal companies in the world, including industry giants Waste Disposal Inc. and Republic Services, are headquartered in the United States.
At the end of 2019, this same North American waste disposal market was worth at 208 billion ( us$, with the United States accounting for the lion’s share of the total. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates waste in the United States under the Resource Conservation & Recovery of 1976 (RCRA).