	Introduction

This report provides updated information on interstate shipment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Since the late 1980s, Congress has considered, but not enacted, numerous bills that would grant such authority. Over this period, there has been a continuing interest in knowing how much waste is being shipped across state lines for disposal, and what states might be affected by proposed legislation. This report provides data useful in addressing these questions. Total Shipments

The data show that total interstate waste shipments continue to rise: imports in the current survey totaled 42.2 million tons, 17% of the 245.7 million tons of municipal solid waste generated in the United States. Of this amount, 25.3% crossed state lines for disposal. Between CRS's year 2004 report (reporting largely 2003 data) and the current survey (reporting generally 2005 data), imports increased 3.2 million tons, or 8%. Waste Import Highlights

Thirty states had increased imports of municipal waste since 2003, with the largest increases occurring in Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Disposal facilities in the state received 7.9 million tons of MSW and 1.7 million tons of other nonhazardous waste from out of state in 2005. The amounts represented 39% of all solid waste disposed in the state and 19% of the national total for interstate MSW shipments. Despite the state's continued predominance on the list of waste importers, Pennsylvania's MSW imports actually declined for the fourth year in a row in 2005—a cumulative decrease of more than 2.7 million tons. First, beginning in 2002, Pennsylvania imposed a new state fee of $4.00 per ton on waste disposal. Michigan, the third-largest waste importer for the past several years, has also seen substantial growth in imports. Besides the three big increases discussed above (Indiana, Virginia, and Michigan), states that reported major increases in imports compared to CRS's previous survey were Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Tennessee, and Kansas, each of which reported an increase of at least 100,000 tons. New Jersey remains on the list of major importers, with 1.7 million tons of MSW imports in 2005. Ten other states reported declines in waste imports. Major Exporters

As shown in Table 2 , eleven states (New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, Minnesota, North Carolina, Indiana, and Florida) and the District of Columbia each exported more than 1 million tons of waste to facilities in other states in the latest reporting period, and 21 other states exported more than 100,000 tons. As noted above, the Canadian province of Ontario also exported a substantial amount of municipal waste (nearly 4 million tons), most of it to Michigan. In addition to Illinois and Ontario, Minnesota and Florida showed the largest increases. As noted earlier, the movement of waste also represents the regionalization and consolidation of the waste industry.
This report, which replaces a 2004 report on the same subject (CRS Report RL32570, Interstate Shipment of Municipal Solid Waste: 2004 Update (pdf)), provides updated information on interstate shipment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Since the late 1980s, Congress has considered, but not enacted, numerous bills that would allow states to impose restrictions on interstate waste shipments, a step the Constitution prohibits in the absence of congressional authorization. Over this period, there has been a continuing interest in knowing how much waste is being shipped across state lines for disposal, and what states might be affected by proposed legislation. This report provides data useful in addressing these questions. It generally presents data as of 2005.
Total interstate waste shipments continue to rise due to the closure of older local landfills and the consolidation of the waste management industry. More than 42 million tons of municipal solid waste crossed state lines for disposal in 2005, an increase of 8% over 2003. Waste imports have grown significantly since CRS began tracking them in the early 1990s, and now represent 25.3% of the municipal solid waste disposed at landfills and waste combustion facilities. In the last 10 years, reported imports have increased 147%.
Pennsylvania remains the largest waste importer. The state received more than 7.9 million tons of MSW and 1.7 million tons of other non-hazardous waste from out of state in 2005. Most of this waste came from New Jersey and New York. Pennsylvania's waste imports represented 19% of the national total. Virginia and Michigan, the second and third largest importers, received 5.7 million tons and 5.4 million tons from out of state respectively in 2005, each of them about 30% less than the amount received by Pennsylvania.
With the exception of Pennsylvania, each of the 15 largest importers showed an increase in waste imports, compared to our last survey, which provided data as of 2003. Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin showed particularly large increases, with Ohio, New York, Oregon, and Georgia also increasing substantially. In each of these states, waste imports increased by 300,000 tons or more, in some cases substantially more. In all, 30 states had increased imports in the current report, and 11 states reported imports that exceeded 1 million tons.
While waste imports increased overall, Pennsylvania, the leading importer, reported a sharp decline in imports. Pennsylvania's imports fell for the fourth year in a row: about 2.7 million fewer tons of out-of-state MSW were received at Pennsylvania landfills in 2005 than in 2001. Factors causing this decline included the imposition of an additional $4.00 per ton state fee on waste disposal and the absence of rail service at Pennsylvania landfills.
New York remains the largest exporter of waste, with New Jersey in second place. Nine other states (Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, Minnesota, North Carolina, Indiana, and Florida), the District of Columbia, and the Canadian province of Ontario also exported more than 1 million tons each.