Due largely to lax governmental regulation on an ever-growing chemical industry, everyday products that are used and thrown away contain more toxic chemicals than ever before.
When these products end up in landfills or incinerators, the toxins pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink. More than 60, untested chemicals pervade the consumer products on our shelves and in our homes. All landfills leak. Landfills are bad for our health and environment. In , the EPA stated all landfills will eventually leak. That means that runoff from landfills, carrying with it toxic chemicals from our waste, ends up in our water supplies.
Many communities surrounding landfills have had their drinking water contaminated by leaking landfills. A major source of methane.
The EPA also found landfills to be the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. Methane is a greenhouse gas 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, making it a powerful contributor to our climate crisis. Additional concerns. Landfills give off potentially harmful gases and odors that can permeate neighborhoods, linked to birth defects and other serious health problems.
Another concern is the post-closure period in which many facilities are used as the base for athletic fields, playgrounds, parking lots or other facilities after their active period is over.
Post-closure uses such as these can lead to cracks in the cover and subsequent leakage. Although other chemicals may have been present in the air, many of these effects are consistent with exposure to hydrogen sulfide. Methane is the major component of natural gas. It is highly flammable and can form explosive mixtures with air if it concentrates in an enclosed space with poor ventilation. Landfill gas explosions are not common occurrences.
Methane and carbon dioxide are colorless, odorless gases that can displace oxygen in enclosed spaces. Health effects associated with both methane and carbon dioxide result from the lack of oxygen rather than direct exposure to these gases.
Health effects caused by a reduced oxygen level include a faster heartbeat and having to take deeper breaths, similar to the effects felt after vigorous exercise. These effects have rarely been reported from landfills. When landfills have reached the maximum amount of waste they can hold, several feet of cover material are placed over the landfill mass.
Gas collection wells are then installed throughout the capped landfill. These wells are made of perforated pipes which give the gas an easy path to move vertically to the surface rather than laterally outward toward off-site locations e. As the gases enter these wells they are either vented into the outdoor air, passed through a flame and broken down by burning, passed through a filter, or used in an energy recovery program.
Landfill gas vents need to be kept drained and clear of obstructions such as snow and debris. Older landfills and smaller dumps may not have gas control measures. Order before 11am for Same Day Dispatch!
Ph or Live Chat pm Mon — Fri. Shipping Calculated at Checkout. By Eco Bin. Eco Bin. More by Eco Bin. Share 0 0 0. Comments 0. Leave a reply Click here to cancel the reply Your email address will not be published. Related Articles. Jun Sep Landfill meets a critical infrastructure need — to deal with the residual waste produced by businesses and households.
This waste is expected to grow as the population increases, and with current consumer behaviours. Even with improved recycling rates, there is still general waste anything that cannot be recycled to be managed safely and effectively.
At some level, most of us agree we should try to avoid, or at least reduce rubbish that we send to landfills. The word landfill conjures up images of vast, foul smelling open tips, strewn with garbage, teeming with scavenger birds and flies. Let alone the pollution, and problems to wildlife and nature that come with landfills, which is becoming a more talked about subject. Learn more on this here. Living a zero-waste lifestyle means you strive to use as little single-use plastic as possible, instead opting for sustainable and reusable alternatives.
In short, it means you send as little as possible to landfills. Replacing as much as possible with reusable products includes everything from food and drink packaging, to hygiene products, to clothing, either more sustainable or plastic free, which will help protect the environment, benefit communities and support a circular economy.
At Unisan, we love helping workplaces dramatically increase their recycling rates and manage waste better, in order to send less waste to landfill and become more sustainable. Setting up an effective recycling station can make all the difference. We believe this enables people to do the right thing and allow companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and the environment. Find out more here on how we help transform companies environmental commitments for the better, or call us on for expert advice on how your business can move further towards zero waste!
We have a fantastic range of recycling and waste bins, whether for offices, schools, universities, reception areas, break out or canteen areas, or even for back of house, such as warehouses and distribution areas.
Click here to see our range. Click here for inspiration. Conclusion In theory, providing there are no earthquakes, or underground methane gas explosions, landfill sites that are well constructed and managed may be able to contain toxic chemical and leachate byproducts for hundreds of years.
But the vast quantities of landfill gasses from landfills cannot be so contained. Before any methane is burned, landfills produce almost as much raw carbon dioxide as methane. And after taking into account burned off methane, a typical landfill site produces thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide per month. In striving to make our organisations and waste management more sustainable, we should be doing everything in our power to eliminate landfill waste. A To prepare the land before waste is deposited, several layers of linings are installed to seal up the base.
Before beginning to deposit waste, this process has to be verified independently for quality assurance. The process is: 1. A regulating layer is laid down to smooth out the surface.
A layer of clay is then put down to provide an impermeable material to help prevent liquid from escaping. The third layer is a plastic liner 4. Geotextile is then placed over the plastic. A fifth layer of gravel is then installed. A layer of geotextile is the last stage of preparing the base. B All waste from the local area e. A compactor rolls over the waste to squash it and fill the space efficiently, to create a level surface.
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