The Drawbacks of Landfill

Trash has become a pervasive by-product of modern life. It is estimated that the total amount of trash generated by humans worldwide exceeds 2 billion tons per year. Even with steady advancements in alternative waste management technologies, the vast majority of human trash is still deposited into municipal solid waste landfills. While landfills offer the cheapest and most convenient method for disposing of trash, they have become increasingly unpopular with the general public. This unpopularity has arisen due to the proven adverse impacts that landfills can have on the environment.

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The environmental problems caused by landfills are numerous. They can affect the quality of surrounding air and water, harbor invasive species like flies and rats, contribute to global warming and cause problems for wildlife due to disruptions in natural habitats. The two main environmental problems landfills cause are atmospheric and water emissions.

The atmospheric emissions produced from landfills arise from two different sources. The first source is the vast amount of heavy-duty vehicles required for the collection, transportation, excavation, compaction and maintenance required for the operation of a landfill. All of these vehicles generate dust, noise and carbon based emissions that can cause adverse human health issues and greatly contribute to an increase of the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The second source is the amount of methane and other gases that must be emitted from landfills as organic wastes decay. Methane is nearly seventy times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon-dioxide and has been attributed to be a major contributor in global warming. In addition, other types of toxic emissions can arise from plastics, textiles and other materials that create a chemical slurry as they decompose. Gases are produced in a landfill very shortly after its creation and can continue to arise for hundreds of years.

The water emissions produced from landfills can negatively impact both surface and underground waterways. Heavy rains can cause a runoff of both large debris and liquid toxins into area streams and rivers. Because landfills are first developed as large holes in the ground, there is also the possibility that water can leach harmful dioxins and carcinogens into underground aquifers. Most landfills in developed countries are highly regulated concerning water runoff and underground aquifer protection. However, in the poorer, undeveloped countries there is very little oversight on landfill water issues.

There are major efforts underway in many countries to substantially reduce their reliance on landfills through development of alternative waste management systems. This is especially true in European countries where available space for landfills has become scarce. One such alternative is the Mechanical and Biological system that focuses upon value recovery and landfill diversion. Numerous studies have found that this type of waste disposal system offers lower environmental impacts when compared to the alternatives of an untreated landfill or incineration.

Although landfills will continue to be a part of the trash disposal industry for many years to come, the development of more oversight regulations and alternative waste systems should dramatically lessen their negative environmental impacts. As with all waste disposal challenges, reducing the amount of waste generated by humans is the best way for reducing the negative impacts of landfills.
 

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Copyright Fell Environmental 2010