After three consecutive years of increasing waste generation, 2020 brought a pandemic-related reduction in solid waste generation. In 2021, Vermont saw a 2.4% increase in waste generation compared to 2020, although total generation was lower than in 2018 or 2019.  The decrease in per capita disposal between 2021 and 2022 is due to a change in methods (see Notes on Methodology); if 2022 had been calculated the same as 2021, the per capita disposal would have been 3.5 lbs/person/day. While this is analogous to the 2021 value, it is positive to see that disposal has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, Vermonters disposed of 368,070 tons of municipal solid waste and diverted 212,019 tons of material from disposal through methods such as recycling, composting, and reuse, giving a 37% diversion rate for 2023. This 37% diversion rate is not directly comparable to the 2022 41% diversion rate, because diverted construction and demolition debris (C&D) were moved from the general diversion category to a new C&D diversion category in 2023 with 46% C&D diversion. 2024 data are not available yet.
 

NOTE METHODS CHANGE IN 2022. The disposal and diversion numbers are based on a combination of reports from Vermont facilities (landfill, materials recovery facilities, transfer stations, certified compost facilities, etc.) and estimates from studies such as the Vermont Waste Composition Study (conducted every 5 years). The diversion number is based on many estimates of diversion activities that are hard to quantify, such as reuse and home composting., but, while it is more precise than diversion, the disposal number is also a partial estimate because it is adjusted to account for construction and demolition debris (C&D) that is included in the reported MSW tonnage. In 2022, the adjustment methods were changed because the previous adjustment was under-estimating the amount of C&D  in the MSW.  There were also changes to the diversion methods in 2022 compared to previous years to include some materials (like leaf and yard debris and food processing residuals) that had previously not been included.