News
2007 SWANA ARF Report Addresses the Ongoing Landfill Privatization Trend
June 8, 2023
An article published by Waste Dive on May 19, 2023, described the continuing trend of the privatization of landfill capacity in the US. Currently, 73% of permitted disposal capacity is owned and/or controlled by private companies and only 27% is controlled by local governments and public authorities. Furthermore, the article reported that 61% of permitted capacity is controlled by just five publicly-traded companies.
This trend was identified and addressed over 15 years ago in a report published by the SWANA Applied Research Foundation in 2007. In that report, SWANA reported that the number of MSW landfills in the United States has decreased from 7,924 in 1988 to 1,654 in 2004—a reduction of almost 80%. During this time, the national disposal capacity remained relatively constant, thereby indicating the development of larger, regional landfills. The trend toward fewer, larger regional landfills was accompanied by a trend toward the ownership of these landfills by private companies.
Two concerns were identified in the report regarding the privatization trend. With respect to marketplace competition, there was concern that the trend toward consolidation of disposal companies may inhibit local or regional competition among disposal service providers. A second concern was the loss of direct control by the local community over both its future waste disposal capacity, as well as disposal costs. These concerns are still valid today as the landfill privatization trend continues.
The SWANA report includes a discussion of the benefits and risks associated with regional landfill consolidation and privatization. This report is available free of charge to all SWANA members and can be downloaded from SWANA’s website. Hopefully, it will encourage a discussion of the continuing landfill privatization trend and its impact on our industry.
