Ever since China''s recycling industry stopped taking America''s plastic waste in 2018, landfills in the US have been piling up at a worrisome rate. Plastic initially destined for recycling plants has been sent to landfill instead.
Landfills are the third largest source of methane pollution, which is one of the main causes of climate change. They also emit large amounts of health-harming and even cancer-causing pollution such as toxic benzene.
Many of the 11,000-plus active and closed landfills in the U.S. could be contaminated with the "forever chemicals " known as PFAS, creating increased health risks for the low-income communities and communities of color
Landfills help to keep our communities clean, but they also pose serious threats to the health of our environment. Working towards living a zero waste lifestyle will help to reduce our reliance on landfills, their impact on the environment, and their impact on human health and well-being.
What is a landfill? Modern landfills are well-engineered and managed facilities for the disposal of solid waste. Landfills are located, designed, operated and monitored to ensure compliance with federal regulations. They are also designed to protect the environment from contaminants, which may be present in the waste stream.
In terms of direct ecological harm, landfills cause three main problems — toxins, leachate, and greenhouse gases. We will now explore each of these in turn. Toxins
The main problems that municipal landfill sites generate for the environment are detailed below. 1. Landfill are one of the causes of climate change. Landfill sites are partially responsible for global warming as they generate and release biogas into the atmosphere.
Why Are Landfills a Problem? On the surface, landfills seem like a logical solution to our waste — if we have nowhere else to put it, why not bury it? Landfills do, however, present serious and potentially life-threatening risks to nearby communities and the environment. Location
It is notorious for its adverse environmental effects, including greenhouse gas emissions, soil and water contamination, and natural habitat destruction. Heavy metals and other pollutants in landfill waste can lead to soil contamination, reducing its fertility and altering its chemical composition.
In modern landfills, the methane is collected in pipes so that it can be vented, burned, or even used as an energy source. Although modern landfills are designed to keep toxic trash contained, leaks do happen. Therefore, landfills are still dangerous to the environment and human health.