Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data

Each of the products studied in each product category are compiled together on their respective pages. Major appliances or white goods, in MSW include items such as refrigerators, washing machines and water heaters. Data on unit production of appliances are from Appliance Manufacturer Market Profile, Appliance Manufacturer Shipments Forecasts, and Appliance Statistical Review. Durable goods are those goods that don’t wear out quickly and last over a long period.

• Based on industry data, EPA estimated that the recycling of carpet fiber, backing and padding was 310,000 tons in 2018, which was 9.2 percent of carpet generation.
• The generation of tissue paper and towels includes facial and sanitary tissues and table napkins, but not bathroom tissue, which goes directly into the wastewater treatment system.
• Durable goods are those goods that don’t wear out quickly and last over a long period.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of office-type paper generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of newspapers/mechanical papers generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. Non-durable goods or soft goods are the opposite of durable goods and are called consumables. They may be defined as goods that are immediately consumed in one use or have a lifespan of less than three years. Examples of non-durable goods include cosmetics, cleaning products, food, fuel, beer, cigarettes, paper products, rubber, textiles, clothing and footwear. You can find examples of softs in futures in our Fundamentals of Trading Softs Futures Guide.

Consumer Non-Durables and Economy

That same year, landfills received about 1.2 million tons of tires (18.5 percent of tire generation). Based on industry data, EPA estimated that the recycling of carpet fiber, backing and padding was 310,000 tons in 2018, which was 9.2 percent of carpet generation. A slightly larger proportion (17.8 percent) was combusted for energy recovery, while the majority of rugs and carpets were landfilled (73 percent). EPA estimated that 1.5 million tons of towels, sheets and pillowcases were generated in 2018, using a methodology similar to that for clothing. The export or recycling of these textiles amounted to 240,000 tons in 2018 (15.8 percent recycling rate).

Out of total MSW generation in 2018, generation of plastic trash bags amounts to about 1.2 million tons, or 0.4 percent. Magazines are predominantly made of coated groundwood, but some uncoated groundwood and chemical pulps are also used. Magazines accounted for an estimated 980,000 tons, or 0.3 percent of total MSW generation in 2018.

What Are Consumer Durables?

The Agency also estimated the tire recycling rate was 40.0 percent based on data on the recovery of tires from the U.S. However, tires going to combustion facilities as fuel were included in the combustion estimates. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of major appliances generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of plastic plates and cups generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of other non-packaging paper generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

What Are Some Examples of Consumer Durables?

Durability, as a characteristic relating to the quality of goods that can be demanded by consumers, was not clear until an amendment of the law in 1994[which? Nondurable goods or soft goods (consumables) are the opposite of durable goods. They may be defined either as goods that are immediately consumed in one use or ones that have a lifespan of less than three years.

EPA tracks products to learn how people are consuming, using and discarding materials. This information allows the Agency to target activities that will ultimately maximize source reduction, recycling and composting of materials. EPA does not currently have information on the amount of other miscellaneous durable goods that facilities combusted with energy recovery or sent to landfills in 2018. EPA estimated that the generation of lead-acid batteries from automobiles, trucks and motorcycles in MSW in 2018 was 2.9 million tons (1.0 percent of total generation). In 2018, the amount of tires combusted with energy recovery was 2.7 million tons (41.5 percent of tire generation).

The BEA includes food, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, clothing, household supplies, personal care products, magazines, and gasoline in this category. Examples of durable goods used by businesses include machinery and equipment. Some are similar to consumer durable goods, such as computers, telephones, and automobiles. This category includes furniture used by the business, including any that landlords rent to tenants. The types of products that are considered consumer durable goods include furniture, appliances, automobiles, jewelry, and books.

This statistic includes many different paper and paperboard product categories. Consumer durables, also known as durable goods, are products that last for three years or more. EPA estimates that the generation of clothing and footwear was 13 million tons in 2018 (4.4 percent of total MSW). Textiles, rubber and leather are the major material components of this category, with some plastics present as well.

Understanding Consumer Durables

(Reuse occurs before generation and is not included in the generation or recycling estimates). EPA estimated that the generation of these products was 1.4 million tons (0.5 percent of total MSW generation) in 2018. EPA did not identify any significant recovery for recycling of these products, although there is some composting of these items.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of carpets and rugs generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of small appliances generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. In 2018, generation was 5.3 million tons, or 1.8 percent of total MSW generation. While the number of units of appliances is higher than previous years, the average weight per unit is lower. Ferrous metals (steel and iron) are the predominant materials in major appliances, but different metals, plastics, glass and other materials are also present. The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of all durable goods generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

Nondurable goods, along with containers and packaging, have accounted for the large increases in MSW generation. In 2013, EPA started including information on C&D debris generation, as this category of waste is a large part of the non-hazardous waste stream. Materials included in C&D are steel, wood products, drywall and plaster, brick and clay tile, asphalt shingles, concrete, and asphalt concrete. These materials are used in buildings, as well as in the road and bridge sectors.

EPA estimated that the generation of consumer electronics goods in 2018 was 2.7 million tons, representing less than 1 percent of all MSW generation. In 2018, the rate of selected consumer electronics recycling was 38.5 percent. EPA does not currently have information on the amount https://1investing.in/ of selected consumer electronics that facilities combusted with energy recovery or sent to landfills in 2018. With the exception of newspapers/mechanical papers recovery, there was very little documentation on the recovery of other nondurable paper by individual products.

That year, 10.6 million tons of durable goods were recycled (18.5 percent recycling rate). Additionally, the combustion of durable goods was 9.1 million tons (26.4 percent of total combustion with recovery), and landfills received 37.4 million tons (25.6 percent of total landfilling) in 2018. EPA estimated the generation of rubber tires was 6.5 million tons in 2018, approximately 2.2 percent of total MSW. EPA only included tires from passenger cars, trucks and motorcycles in these figures. Tires used in large equipment, aviation or industrial applications were not included. Generation of other miscellaneous nondurable goods was 4.1 million tons, or 1.4 percent, of total MSW in 2018.

These are a category of tangible products that can withstand the test of time and can be used several times before they start to deteriorate. Durable goods can easily last a couple of years without any significant damage, so they are also called as consumer durables. They can be used repeatedly and their utility is not exhausted by single use; in fact, it yields utility over time. These products have a greater lifetime than three years, or even more in case of heavy-duty products such as furniture, cars, machinery, etc. Durable Goods Orders are an economic indicator released monthly by the Census Bureau. It reflects new orders placed with domestic manufacturers for the delivery of factory hard goods.

Industry-provided, nondurable goods-recovered paper estimates are presented as a total for books, magazines, office-type papers, standard mail and other commercial printing. Total recovery (excluding newspapers/mechanical papers) was about 8.8 million tons, or 43.1 percent of nondurable goods paper generation in 2018. – Products such as cars, furniture, appliances, consumer electronics, tools and equipment, sporting goods, jewelry, semiconductors, etc., come under the category of durable products. Examples of non durable goods are sweets, packaged foods, cosmetics, beverages, office supplies, tobacco, clothing, footwear, light bulbs, detergent, etc. These are meant for single use only because unlike durable goods, they start to wear out quickly. This category includes items such as toasters, hair dryers and electric coffee pots.