A recent nation-wide survey has shown that tipping fees and disposal costs for municipal waste in the U.S. range from $18 per ton to nearly $106 per ton. Of all the states, Idaho has the least expensive disposal fees and Massachusetts has the most expensive. The surveys included both public and private landfills. Only the top five largest landfills in each state were included, so the possibility exists that businesses in need of dumping municipal solid waste may find better pricing deals at smaller facilities.

A big difference is price is whether the landfill is public or privately owned. Public landfills must set their price according to the expensive incurred whereas privately owned facilities may competitively set their price based on location and demand.

The total number of landfills has decreased from almost eight thousand in 1988 to close to two thousand today. This change is the result of the shift from local landfills to regional ones. The Western and Southern parts of the U.S. contain the overwhelming majority of landfills with the smallest number being in the Northeast. Based on this distribution, the least expensive states for disposal fees are in the South and West. Higher fees are found in areas with denser populations, which accounts for the increase in fees in the Northeast.

Another cost factor is the availability of resource recovery facilities. States that have strong recycling and reuse facilities tend to charge higher fees for waste disposal.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Disposing of waste is a part of every business but you can minimize your waste disposal fees by making sure you recycle, reuse, and resell as much of your “waste” material as possible!