It’s hard to imagine the sheer volume of trash that is created every day in America. We average about five pounds of trash per day for every man, woman, and child. That all adds up to 800,000 tons of trash disposed daily. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), estimates we generate 292 million tons each year, most of which ends up in a landfill. And, there are a lot of those. As of recent estimates, there are approximately 1,250 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills operating in the United States.
As trash is trucked and dumped at the landfill each day, it is covered with a layer of dirt.
Landfills are engineered facilities designed for the safe and efficient disposal of waste. They play a crucial role in waste management by containing waste in a way that minimizes its impact on the environment and human health.
Not all landfills accept the same type of trash. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfills are designed to take household waste and other non-hazardous materials. There are Hazardous Waste Landfills, specifically designed to handle hazardous waste materials, a Construction and Demolition (C&D) Landfills, designed to handle debris from construction, renovation, and demolition activities.
A heavyweight layer of plastic sheeting at the bottom of the landfill helps prevent liquids from leaking into the surrounding soil. A system of piping removes the water and pumps it to storage tanks where it is then treated and returned to the municipal water system. That’s right. Think about that the next time you drink a glass of water. The EPA and other agencies ensure that the water is thoroughly treated and safe for bathing and consumption. When you open your water bill this month, you should know that part of your payment is going to the treatment plant. In the diagram above, you can see the various layers of trash, covered by dirt. Most landfills are designed to last for 30 – 50 years, and when they stop accepting trash and close for good, the operator must monitor the soil for signs of leaks for another 30 years.
This video, while more than a bit corny, does a great job explaining how a landfill functions. It is 2 minutes long.
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Pamela Worrell
Thing’s you might not want to know, but necessary to know! 🤔 Gross! 🤮