EREF study shows MSW tip fees decreased in 2023

The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) has released its eighth annual municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill tip fee report, which includes data from 342 MSW landfills across all 50 states.

The 2023 report found a decline in tip fees in most areas across the U.S., with the exception of the Northeast, with the steepest decline in fees found in the Pacific region. This decrease marks the first reduction in average tip fees since 2020, following two years of increases.

Photo courtesy of Environmental Research & Education Foundation

The national unweighted tip fee fell to $56.80 per ton, 3 percent lower than $58.4 reported in 2022. The unweighted average is the average of all fees, with the fees of each reporting landfill being equally weighted. The weighted average is the average of all fees based on the relative amount of MSW managed at each reporting landfill.

The Northeast region continues to have the highest fees per ton in the U.S. at $84.44 per ton. The Pacific region experienced the greatest decrease, with tip fees dropping to $62.28, just above the Midwest’s average tip fee of $57.24. The Southeast is the region with the lowest average tip fee, at $43.18.

EREF’s 2022 report explored the relationship between four economic indicators and the annual average tipping fee, including Consumer Price Index, vehicle manufacturing and maintenance, wages and labor costs. The 2023 report demonstrates the continued moderate relationship between these four factors, with the strongest relationship between tip fees and vehicle manufacturing.

However, considering all four economic indicators continue to increase as the unweighted national tip fee decreased in 2023, according to the report, there may be other factors that have also impacted tipping fees in 2023.

The free report, “Analysis of MSW Landfill Tipping Fees—2023,” shares additional 2023 tipping fee data. The full report can be found here.