Whether we are putting it out on the sidewalk once a week, walking it to the dumpster outside of Westmoreland Hall, or cleaning it up after raccoons tear through it and then taking it back out to the sidewalk, we all are guilty of contributing our garbage and waste to landfills. With the daily grind of life, we hardly think about where our trash is going, or what is being done with it. Well, it's filling up landfills (duh) and may be causing environmental problems.
I included this video, first because I don't think that the average college student youtubes landfills, and also to show the anatomy of a landfill, how it processes garbage, and the effects and outcome of building a landfill. Our trash is piling up, here's what is going on...
Atmospheric Emissions- Landfill gasses enter the atmosphere, effecting our ozone.
Water Emissions- Rainwater falls on the landfill and allows toxic chemicals to wash into water courses such as ditches nearby, or rivers and streams that are further away.
Landfill Fires, Decomposition, and Leakage are other problems that landfills face. So how do we resolve these issues? Well, we can begin by recycling! Recycling will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas that landfills let out into the atmosphere. I'm sure that everything I am writing, you've already learned in 4th grade science class. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Remember? It's simple and it will save our planet, so let's start!
No comments:
Post a Comment