Lori Sonken

The Toxics Release Inventory Program tracks facilities that use, manufacture or process toxic chemicals above thresholds set by the Environmental Protection Agency and provides information important to understanding potential impacts to the environment and public health.

Electricity generation in the United States comes from power plants running on fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, coal), nuclear, and renewable sources of energy (hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal and biomass).

Americans generate a lot of trash and most of it is picked up at the curb and then dumped in municipal solid waste landfills (MSWL). Landfills receive common household garbage, including our stinky food scraps and worn-out personal belongings, such as beds and clothes, as well as nonhazardous wastes. There were 1,908 municipal landfills in the U.S. in 2009, according to the EPA.