The Garbage Dump
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The garbage dump should be the last place your trash ends up in.
You should first exhaust all means of precycling and recycling available to you.
Hazardous or not, no one wants a dump in their backyard. They smell, invite vermin, and leak.
As our population grows and available land diminishes, finding dump sites, or landfills, becomes harder and harder—already a reality in Eastern States.
Landfills: Modern Garbage Dumps
Modern landfills are built to contain trash and keep it from contaminating our environment. They are regulated and have restrictions regarding location and safety requirements. They are not accident proof, however.
What about all the ones that weren’t built right?
One problem with landfills is leachate, produced when rainwater mixes with chemicals and heavy metals, leaking into and contaminating groundwater and soil. It can be toxic and carcinogenic.
Decomposing trash produces methane gas, which is highly explosive. It can, however, be collected and burned as fuel to generate power reducing odors and other hazards.
When allowed to escape, methane enters the atmosphere contributing to local smog and global climate change. Most landfill sites do not have a collection project.
Toxic Waste Incinerators
Incinerators are said to be the best solution to dispose of industrial organic hazardous substances, a byproduct of the production of many consumer goods--from cosmetics and light bulbs to air bags and gasoline.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they are thought to be safe and effective in the removal of hazardous constituents in waste.
This is, however, a very costly means of disposal. Many factories have their own on-site burners, but most all small businesses rely on off-site facilities.
Incinerators burn hazardous materials at temperatures high enough to destroy toxic compounds. “Scrubbers” are placed on chimney stacks to trap toxic gases from escaping into the air.
The process produces an ash residue which is analyzed d and treated for safety. The residue is then certified and dumped in a
toxic waste
landfill.
Combustion disposal facilities are highly monitored and regulated by the EPA and state governments. But are they really safe?
Many believe that the better solution by far is still to reduce the amount of waste we produce and keep it from ending up at the neighborhood
garbage dump.
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Batteries, light bulbs, cell phones, computers, and televisions create toxic waste. Hazardous materials found in every day household items can and should be recycled.
Going Green with an Eco-friendly Lifestyle Make-over
What does going green mean in terms of savings and how does it relate to the greenhouse effect?
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