As the population of the Earth continues to grow exponentially, the question of what to do with all of our generated waste is becoming a major one, especially in the United States. Over the past 250 years, waste management in the U.S. has come a long way, with municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal, recycling, landfills, and other techniques. This report examines the past, present, and future of MSW, including new ways to dispose of waste like landfill mining, solar landfill covers, and waste-to-energy facilities. Our goal is not to say which method of dealing with waste is superior, but to highlight the variety of waste disposal techniques, of which we will have to incorporate many in order to keep ahead of the rapidly rising generated waste in the United States.