A Downscaled Estimate of County-Level Non-Hazardous Industrial Waste Generation and Potential Reuse in the U.S

For all of the recent interest in waste in the U.S., one very large category, non-hazardous industrial waste (NHIW), has been less studied over the last 30 years. NHIW results from production processes, yet these secondary by-product materials can be, in many cases, tangible substitutes for primary raw materials. Life-cycle studies demonstrate that NHIW reuse is a viable strategy for conserving natural resources and achieving substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Capturing the largest possible benefits of NHIW reuse, however, requires bringing together detailed knowledge of NHIW generation, NHIW reuse pathways, and system design at a high geospatial resolution. Using our own datasets, we estimate NHIW generation at a high spatial resolution, by industrial sector, thereby constituting a crucial step in achieving better waste and materials management with lower economic and life-cycle environmental costs.

Our research aims to statistically downscale data to the county-level to create an estimate of NHIW generation in the U.S. The approach relies on national-level waste intensity factors previously calculated by our lab. We first identify the challenges in performing reliable estimates by examining the gaps between desirable and real-world data conditions, and then develop a procedural method that delivers the most feasible estimate given the data constraints. The method is implemented in a variety of waste categories from multiple manufacturing sectors. We validate the estimated results using the reported NHIW data from the Residual Waste Program of Pennsylvania and other sources. To diagnose the patterns of NHIW generation and the potential hotspots for waste reuse in the U.S., we further analyze and spatially visualize the estimated waste quantities across the country. Our paper concludes with a summary of the major merits and limitations of the estimate and suggestions for future research directions.