FACTBOX: Conquering the world's waste mountains

(Reuters) - Waste management experts around the world are starting to consider digging up old trash from existing landfill sites to recycle decades-old plastics and other materials into new products or energy sources.

But at the same time, the world is also seeking to reduce the mountains going into landfill by encouraging people to recycle more before it is thrown away, according to a Reuters survey of collection in major cities worldwide.

Here are some facts and figures about the world's waste:

World household rubbish output is projected to rise to about 3 billion tonnes a year by 2030 from 1.6 billion tonnes in 2005 -- or about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) per person per day in 2005, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Richer nations send about half their trash to landfills but the rate is expected to fall to 40 percent by 2030 as governments promote recycling, for instance of metals, glass and paper, or incineration to generate heat or electricity.

No country has hit upon a magic clean-up formula with policies varying widely. Countries such as Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark are among the best performers with least sent to landfills, according to the OECD.

In poorer nations, people are more careful about what they throw away but most trash that is collected goes to landfills.

Here is a sample of how major cities are tackling trash:

BEIJING

Almost all bins in Beijing on the streets and in housing complexes are separated into recyclable and non-recyclable compartments, but public awareness is still relatively low so they are often filled with a mix of all kinds of rubbish.

Much of the real recycling is done by migrant workers, often using heavily loaded tricycles, who collect everything from paper to bottles and styrofoam for resale. They sell the waste, usually by weight, to middlemen with trucks.

The Beijing city municipal administration commission says 88 percent of waste goes to landfills.

NEW YORK

Since the Fresh Kills Staten Island dump closed in 2001, New York City has exported 45,000 tonnes per day of trash to states as far away as Ohio. Barges and trains take away most of the trash. The loads were once carried by trucks, but rising fuel and emissions costs have led to the shift.

About 30 percent of the waste stream is diverted through recycling. That makes New York a leader among cities on the East Coast, but a laggard compared to major cities on the West Coast. A 5 cent bounty for most beverage containers has led to a small recycling industry in which the young, old and homeless carry enormous bags and carts of bottles to collection areas.

Businesses are required to stack cardboard for recycling, with mixed results when it rains. Recycling of New York City paper and plastic are sputtering industries on the outskirts of the city. As tipping costs at faraway landfills rise, trash is becoming a bigger headache for New York.