Landfield waste is one of the most common types of landfill garbage worldwide. Landfields are areas that are specifically made to contain landfill garbage.
However, this specific landfill type poses many problems due to a massive accumulation of various hazardous materials. There are several health issues that arise when living next to a landfill site, mainly affecting the respiratory system. However landfill waste is not only hazardous to the health of the landfill site, but also for those who live next door to it.
The landfill waste problem is still occurring everywhere around the world because people are still throwing trash in landfills without giving much thought about how this could affect their surroundings.
One of the biggest questions that landfill owners and landfill site residents ask is: how can we reduce landfill waste?
- Bring reusable totes with you to the grocery store.
- Turn off faucets tightly after using them.
- Learn about composting and recycling food scraps, soiled paper products, and yard trimmings.
- Perform a landfill audit by recording how much landfill waste you have over a few weeks or months. This will help you learn what items can be reduced, reused or recycled.
- Ask about recycling electronics and batteries at your landfill location. Electronic items can be refurbished, reused or recycled to keep them out of landfills.
- Bring your own grocery bags with you when shopping. In many locations, reusable totes are offered for free with a minimum purchase in grocery stores.
- Organize a paper and glass recycling drive at your business or school, recruit family members or friends to help you.
- Wear clothes until they are too ratty to wear anymore. Then donate them to someone who can use them instead of throwing them out.
- Compost leaves, grass trimmings and other yard trimmings.
- Save your pizza boxes and paper bags from restaurants to use as landfill alternative materials.
- Donate or sell clothes that are in good condition, but don’t fit you anymore.
- Avoid buying items packaged in styrofoam, plastic, aluminium foil and blister packaging – instead, look for items packaged in recyclable materials.
- Properly recycle batteries, electronics and motor oil. You may be able to donate them to a local non-profit organization that can reuse or resell them to protect the environment.
- Recycle printer cartridges at recycling centres near you.
- Ask restaurant staff to place orders for 100% recycled paper products.
Composting, reusing and recycling are some of the best ways to reduce landfill waste.
Composting
Composting is a great way to reduce landfill waste but you have to make sure that your compost can go in with landfill waste otherwise it might have dangerous effects on landfill workers. Also, composting doesn’t work everywhere – if your municipality or neighbourhood doesn’t have a composting program, the landfill may not allow your compost to be deposited with landfill waste.
Reusing
Reusing is one of the best ways to reduce landfill waste. You can find great creative ideas for reusing old materials from creative people who post their work all over YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. Recycling involves collecting waste materials, processing them to make new products, and distributing the new products to consumers.
Recycling
If you are throwing out things that can’t be recycled, try reusing them first [of examples of how]. The best landfill alternative is to reduce landfill waste. If you are throwing out things that can’t be reused or recycled, try giving them away first.
FQA
Why is reducing landfill important?
Reducing landfill waste is important because landfill waste causes several environmental issues. The most common issue landfill waste creates is air pollution. Landfills have the potential to release toxic pollutants into the air that can be harmful to both humans and animals.
How do landfills reduce pollution?
Landfills are one of the most productive ways that humans have to reduce pollution. When landfill waste is put into landfill cells, it is covered by landfill cover material, which slows down the rate at which landfill waste decomposes. This reduces landfill waste’s ability to pollute soil, surface water or groundwater by decreasing landfill gas production and landfill leachate.
Are landfills decreasing?
It is true that landfill sites are slowly decreasing in number, but they are increasing in size. The US landfills now take up more than 35% of the landfill space worldwide (Landfills). According to Princeton University, the amount of landfill waste per person has increased by 456 pounds per year. It is clear that landfill waste is increasing.