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  4. US Landfill Tipping Fees Reach $45 per Ton; Slow Volume Growth

US Landfill Tipping Fees Reach $45 per Ton; Slow Volume Growth

Date: October 2, 2012

Source: Waste Business Journal

The average price to dispose a ton of waste in US landfills edged higher in September to an average price of $45.02 per ton. That price is up 3.5 percent since last year, according to the latest statistics from the Waste Business Journal. The largest increases came in the Northeastern US where prices advanced 4.5 percent year over year to a current average of $72.78 per ton as improved economic activity is driving higher volumes in the region, particularly in Pennsylvania. Prices are up 3.5 percent in the Western states and 3.2 percent in the Pacific states in line with the national average. The weakest growth seems to be in the southeast and Midwestern states where prices have risen less than 2 percent year over year.

The volume of waste heading to landfills has risen much more slowly, on the order of just 2 percent year over year, which "appears to reflect the slow rate of economic recovery," according to Jim Thompson of Waste Business Journal. "The good news is that already improving residential construction activity and rising special waste volumes, particularly from oil and gas exploration combined with continued economic growth will improve waste volumes by 3 to 3.5 percent next year which will result in an even higher growth in pricing. Down the road, we could see more coal ash waste from power plants as states begin to force the closure of impoundment ponds like the one in Kingston, TN that gave way in Dec. 2008 causing a billion gallons of sludge to spill into the surrounding countryside."

To learn more, contact Ian Trueblood or Jim Thompson at (619) 793-5190.

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