Waste is growing in the USA, but declining in other countries.
A number of carpet makers in the USA are in talks to develop their own national takeback scheme.
In Japan refuse is compressed under high pressure in specially designed hydraulic presses and then enmeshed in chicken-wire net. The blocks that resulted were then coated with cement or asphalt. All air was forced out; therefore, all micro-organisms were destroyed. Cement-coated blocks are suitable for building purposes; asphalt-coated blocks are used for land reclamation and the construction of breakers to prevent erosion by sea water. This method of disposal is claimed to be one fifth as costly as constructing incinerators. Attempts have also been made to use town and municipal wastes as fuel in the manufacture of cement.
2. Very little is known about the equipment needed for utilizing consumer wastes, since only limited work has been done on the subject.