Landfills are designated areas where waste is covered and buried, usually made up of household refuse, food leftovers, plastics, and other materials that cannot be recycled. Though they are designed to dispose of waste, landfills can prove to be destructive to the environment, but why?
Landfills and harmful gases
Daily, landfills emit millions of cubic feet of methane gas formed when bacteria decompose waste food. The process begins a few months after dumping and may go on for over 50 years. The issue arises when methane escapes into the atmosphere rather than being trapped to be used as energy. Methane is also a greenhouse gas, similar to carbon dioxide (CO2), but it’s much more effective at retaining heat. Methane, while only lasting roughly 12 years in the air, traps 86 times as much heat as CO2 does within a span of 20 years. Methane, therefore, is a significant contributor to climate change, and its effect is only increasing with its concentration rising more rapidly than ever. Methane reduction can rapidly reduce the rate of climate change.
Methane can be captured from landfills and used to generate energy, which is a beneficial means of lessening the effect it has on the environment. When it’s harvested, it can be utilized to produce electricity or heat, minimizing the amount needed from alternative sources. But sometimes, if methane isn’t captured or managed properly, it escapes into the air and becomes harmful.
How does it affect our environment?
Methane gas is one of the major causes of air pollution in addition to global warming. When methane enters the atmosphere, it is a potent greenhouse gas that traps solar radiation and heats the Earth. This increases the temperature of the Earth, which contributes to climate change. When there is an increase in temperature, we experience more extreme weather conditions, such as heatwaves and storms, that interfere with ecosystems, agriculture, and human activities. The greater amount of methane released, particularly from landfills, the quicker the global warming that happens, thereby increasing the impact of climate change.
How can we help?
To minimize landfill waste and lower methane emissions, we can adopt the waste hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle, Recover, and Dispose.
The waste hierarchy is a process, beginning with:
- Reduce – The most efficient method of handling waste is not to create it at all. We can avoid creating waste by consuming less packaging, not using things once and throwing them away, and only purchasing what we need.
- Reuse – Before you dispose of something, consider whether it can be reused. Reusing items such as containers, clothing, or furniture can keep objects out of the landfill and decrease waste.
- Repurpose – This is when we repurpose old items for new uses, such as using plastic bags as pet waste bags, which avoids waste and decreases the demand for new materials.
- Recycle – Recycling is processing waste and turning it into new products rather than discarding it. This conserves resources and decreases the use of raw materials.
- Recover – If something cannot be recycled, we can recover energy from it, such as by using waste-to-energy processes or composting organic waste.
- Dispose – The final step is to send trash to landfills or burn it in incinerators, but following these first five steps, we can significantly minimize the amount of trash that makes it here.
By minimizing waste, reusing, recycling, and recovering energy from waste, we reduce methane production and save resources. Composting and upcycling also minimize landfill waste, avoiding negative environmental effects. In the end, conserving resources and minimizing waste prevents climate change and ensures a more sustainable future.