Modern Landfills Are Safe for the Environment
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010301256&mode=viewMost will agree that the idea of landfills is not a good choice for the enviroment. Landfills are areas where wastes are disposed of, and more or less just dumped there. These have bad effects such as leaking contaminants into the water and soil, taking up land, and many other things that could go wrong with a pile of garbage sitting there to rot. But is there a way to make these things okay for the planet? This article says yes we can! They place collection systems in the area to prevent the leaking of harmful chemicals. They have liners to prevent gasses from leaving the area. Waste is laid in layers and compacted tightly to put more garbage into one space. Once the area is filled to it's capacity, it is capped off to keep it confined. We can also do things like use the trapped gasses for energy!
I think this idea is genious! Alothough in theory, it isn't perfectm, it is the best we will ever get it to be. We can more easily contain our byproducts when we put them in places like this. One problem we may have is that they would be very expensive. We would also need to have the space to put these things in. But in the long run, they will save us a lot of time and energy. I think the coolest idea about this is that you can use the gasses for fuel. This is a great way of putting our garbage to use, and is well the worth the money we would put into it.
Questions:
1. What are the biggest benifits of these containers?
2. Do you think there are better ways of storing waste?
3. Do you think it is important to keep our garbage contained safely? Why?
4. What long-term benifits would this provide?
5. How can we show that this is the best way of disposing our garbage?
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteI really like this article Sara! Since we cannot stop landfills from happening, it is important that we take advantage of them. As years pass and technology advances, more ideas are generated in order to prevent chemicals from entering water ways. I think it is a good idea to use liners to prevent gasses from leaving because harmful pollutants can contaminate the water. This reminded me of the buffer zones that we talked about in class; they are similar because they both act as filters to absorb water and collect pollutants. It is very smart that waste is used to be compacted down because there will always be waste that humans can easily produce.
To answer question 5:
There are many ways in which humans use waste in a positive way. Making compost piles is a good way; however, I think this way is a lot more effective. Since humans produce so much trash, it needs to be compacted down so that more waste can be used.
I found this very interesting article that explains how BMW is using waste as an alternative energy to generate energy and heat water:
Author: AE Waste Energy
Publication: AE Waste Energy
[Title: Waste to Energy]
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/garbage-energy/
BMW is capturing methane that is produced from burning the landfill. The methane travels through a 9 ½ mile pipe to the BMW factory. Then, it is fed to the four main gas turbines in the BMF factory; the turbines run on the methane and there has been a major reduction on the amount of regular energy they used. This “waste to energy” project will recover the amount of energy equivalent to heating 15,000 homes per year. It will also reduce global warming gases by more than 100 million pounds per year for the next two decades. That is a long time! This shows how committed BMW is to a greener environment. This is also a great example of how the government and industry are working together to contribute to the global community.
I agree Sara! Using these liners to trap the gases is in theory a great idea! If we can put our trash to use instead of waste, there would be much more uses for it that practicing trash-ketball. When we as humans can find ways to take something bad and turn it into something good, it shows how every problem can eventually be overcome. In this way, Landfills are not so bad after all. You're right about saving time and energy. This alternative source of fuel saves us a whole lot of time and effort trying to extract natural gas.
ReplyDeleteI've never really understood how a landfill works, or what happens to the waste that is dumped there. Now that I know, I feel as if it is a crime not to use the waste for something good! Much better to use it that let it sit there and rot! We haven't learned about landfills in class so much yet, but I hope that we will soon.
To answer question 2: I'll be completely honest, I think there are at least 10 better ways to use waste than landfills. I'll continue this honesty and let you guys know that I feel what we should do is just send all of our trash into space. I have no idea if it may hurt our universe somehow, but how could it? If we send it on a rocket out to space it will just float on for billions of years. We can let some other planet deal with it.
Another good idea is of course, recycling. If we can learn to recycle at least 75% of the materials we use, businesses will not need to extract materials from the environment. They can keep reusing the materials we throw out and they will prosper even more.
To answer question 3: It is incredibly important to dispose of our waste safely, and keep it safe. If our trash is uncontrolled, and is allow to taint and contaminate the environment, the consequences are very severe. Water will be contaminated and will become toxic. Animals and plants will wither away and die. Entire ecosystems will perish simply because the materials we use are not stored in the place that they need to be in. So yes, it is incredibly important.
Great picture, it goes with your topic! Landfills are just gross and smelly places where waste is disposed or dumped. They can leak contaminates into the water or soil and they take up a lot of space. I am so glad there is a way to prevent all this. Liners are used to stop gasses from leaving the area and waste is compressed tightly so more garbage can be placed in one location. Once the area is filled, it is capped off to keep it confined, which is good. Surprisingly, you can trap the gases for energy. I am glad there are some solutions to stop overflowing trash piles, even though they are not perfect, but I guess this is the best way to throw our garbage. We could also recycle and compost to save materials. People need to stop littering and wasting stuff, as well. If you have something you do not want, give it to charity. If you see trash on the ground, pick it up. Not only are you saving the Earth, but you are also doing an act of kindness. Clean your pets waste too! I remember talking about trash harming animals and people. I hate to think about organisms dying because of garbage. Everyone deserves to live in a clean, healthy home.
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I found this blog, which describes more about landfills.
“Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association” (PWA)
http://www.pawasteindustries.org/environment/tour
Did you know each one of us creates more than four pounds of solid waste per day? During the 1950s, there were more than 1,000 town dumps in Pennsylvania. Then there were public health and environmental concerns, which led to the beginning of scientifically engineered landfills. Now it is estimated that there are 50 landfills in Pennsylvania. Modern landfills are environmental friendly, sophisticated and complex. Experts study the area, before a landfill is sited. They search the location, test the groundwater, monitor air quality, and study layout choices and traffic patterns. The process can take a few years. I did not know we had that many landfills near our homes and that we could tour them!