Down in the Dumps: Trash Talk

Have you ever driven by a landfill? If you have, you'll never forget the smell. Something that smells that bad can't be good. I know I wouldn't want to have a landfill for a neighbor.

In 2005, 245 million tons of garbage--that's 4.5 pounds of waste per person per day--made its way to landfills in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. What do we dump there? Paper and cardboard 34%, yard trimmings 13%, food scraps 12%, plastics 11%, and metal 7%.

People are misled to think that paper and cardboard decomposes easily in landfills. The fact is, it doesn't. Paper and cardboard need moisture and air to break down--in a landfill, these wastes are smothered by more paper and cardboard and other garbage. Thirty-seven year old newspapers have been recovered with the print still readable!

The Danger of Landfills

Landfills are dangerous places to dump our garbage. First of all, many people do not take the time to separate their hazardous wastes from the rest of their trash. They throw away toxic paints with household cleaners and batteries and all sorts of other harmful chemicals. People claim it takes too much time to take these items to a drop site and dispose of them properly.

The old adage "out of sight, out of mind" doesn't work with landfills though. When all of this garbage is mixed together, it emits gases that are dangerous to the air, the ground, and the water supply under the surface.

Landfills contain plastic liners that are only 1/10 of an inch thick. Every day, garbage is dumped on top of these liners. Over the years these liners will become brittle or swell and then break down; toxic materials will leach into the earth and the water supply. This ground water loaded with harmful chemicals then flows into nearby lakes and rivers. It can even get into wells which serve as fresh water supplies.

What Can We Do?

So what can we do to make our landfills smaller? Throw away less garbage! Recycle every type of paper and cardboard that your town accepts. Give your glass bottles and cans a quick rinse, and toss them in the recycling too. Take a trip with your parents to your local drop site once a month to dispose of hazardous materials. Perhaps your town gives a tour of the local recycling center so you can see what happens to this material. There are so many things we throw away every day that can be recycled or down-cycled.

Recycling is when an item is processed and then used to make the same item again. For example, plastic bottles become new plastic bottles.

Down-cycling is when materials are processed and turned into an item of a lower quality. For example, used plastic bottles are processed and then re-used to manufacturer shower curtains or park benches or artificial lumber.

Look, Then Look Again

Before you throw something away, look at it. Can it be recycled? Can someone else you know use it? Let's take a look at a few things people commonly discard:

• Junk mail, magazines, newspapers: Accepted by most local recycling centers in their weekly curbside pickup.
• Cereal boxes and other light cardboard: Call your local recycling center.
• Corrugated cardboard: Call your local recycling center.
• Computer printer cartridges: Many stores accept empty cartridges and even give you a coupon for free merchandise.
• Cell phones, computers, televisions, electronic games: These products contain lead and other hazardous materials. Local recycling centers and even local electronic stores accept these items and re-cycle parts.
• Sneakers: Nike has a Reuse-a-Shoe program to recycle athletic shoes into Nike-Grind, a material used for running tracks and sports courts.
• Batteries: Many stores have recycle bins. If not, your local recycling center accepts them.
• Spray cans: Local recycling centers usually accept them--check it out.

Feel Good About Cleaning Up Planet Earth

Feel good every time you recycle something or pass it on. Feel good every time you ask a question about helping our environment. The less you throw in the trash, the smaller our landfills will get, the fewer gases emitted, the cooler and cleaner planet Earth will become. Feel good about helping planet Earth. After all, It's Your Planet Too!