Landfills

     Landfills are places where waste material is disposed by burying it in the ground and covering it with soil so it can decompose. When people set out their trash, the Residential Waste & Recycling Pickup takes it to a local transfer station or straight to a landfill where the garbage will go through this same process.

      When it comes to landfills, there are many problems. Lots of materials that end up in landfills contain toxins. After a certain period of time, these toxins seep into the ground and become environmental hazards. Electronic waste such as televisions and computers contain toxins that are not good for the environment. Another toxic form is leachate. Leachate is liquid that forms when water breaks down the waste. This liquid is very toxic and it can pollute land, ground water, and waterways. The biggest problem with landfills is the greenhouse gas they produce. Greenhouse gas is formed when waste in a landfill gets compacted or covered. Over time it releases a greenhouse gas called methane. This gas adds to the problem of global warming and it’s dangerously flammable.

     Landfills are a problem all over the world, but some places are more affected by them. These places include Ghana Africa, The Philippines, Nigeria, and many other places. Not only are places affected by landfills, but so are people, animals, and plants. Toxins from landfills can affect the water which then plants nearby take in causing them to consume toxins. Animals can eat those plants and also be affected which puts the rest of the food cycle at a great risk of ingesting toxins. Landfills can affect the ecosystem by harming the food web, causing health issues for almost any living organism by releasing harmful chemicals into the air, and they affect habitats by clearing wild areas and polluting areas around from the leachate.

     Landfills were started for the first time in 1937 and problems were not noticed until 1970. Not long after, there was a Pollution Prevention Act made in 1990 that had industrial waste management follow a hierarchy that was made by the EPA. With this hierarchy, they established pollution prevention as the public policy of the United States. The act states that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source and pollution that can not be prevented should be recycled environmentally safe. 

     One solution to this problem is to recycle.This will help lessen the problem because the more things you can recycle, the less materials go to landfills which means there is more room for other trash and less overall time to decompose. To carry out this plan, you would need to have a recycling bin which is usually provided for you depending on where you live. Materials you can recycle include plastic, glass, paper, fiber, lead, and more. An organization that could be involved is the National Waste & Recycling Association. This organization provides leadership, education, and safety to promote recycling. It is important to recycle because it has many benefits such as reducing greenhouse gases and water pollution, saving energy, and reducing the extracting and refining of raw materials which leads to a better, healthier earth. 

     With all of the research and technology we have today, our landfills are well-engineered and managed, but it is up to everyone else to keep our landfills safe and our earth safer. 

“The Problem with Landfill.” Environment Victoria, 13 Sept. 2019, environmentvictoria.org.au/resource/problem-landfill/. 

Land of Waste: American Landfills and Waste Production, www.saveonenergy.com/land-of-waste/. 

“.” Information Plus(R) Reference Series Fall 2004. . Encyclopedia.com. 16 Oct. 2020 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 1 Dec. 2020, www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/waste-disposal.