Impacts of Landfills

1. Impacts of Landfills Ecological, Environmental and Urban Effects

2. Waste Management Waste management is the: *collection, transport, processing, or disposal of waste materials, produced by humans.

3. Waste Management • Urban rubbish is mostly dust, dirt, hair, paper, food scraps, metal, glass and plastic. • Traditional disposal has been to bury rubbish in landfill sites or to incinerate (burn it).

4. Landfill operation The area being filled has a rubberized landfill liner is in place (exposed on the left). This prevents leaching materials migrating downward through the underlying rock.

5. Learning check What is waste management?

6. Answer: Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, or disposal of waste materials, produced by humans.

7. Ecological Effects: • Habitat destruction of plant and animal species living near landfills due to toxicity • Sites of new landfills forces species out of their homes • Species in steams, rivers killed by eutrophication

8. Environmental EffectsAir: • Global warming • Ozone depletion • Toxic gas release • Odors • Noise

9. Environmental EffectsSoil: • Increased birds, rodents, and insects • Explosions and fire hazards • Vegetation damage • Soil pollution • Increased dust

11. Environmental EffectsWater: • Surface water contamination • Ground water contamination

12. Urban Effects: • Building too close to communities can cause poisoning of water supplies. • Increased birth defects • Increased respiratory illnesses

13. Pros for Landfills Without Landfills there would be: • Garbage piling up around your house, in your room, etc. • A higher percentage of diseases, or illnesses • No more nice places everywhere would be full of garbage and smell, be full of rodents and dead things 

14. Problems with Waste Disposal • Availability of suitable landfill sites • The toxic or polluting content of fumes from incineration (CO2, other acidic oxides and dioxins – produced from burning plastic) • Decaying waste produces methane gas which contributes to the “greenhouse gases” • Harmful substances may leak into groundwater supplies (wells, lakes, reservoirs) • Plants and animals in rivers and lakes are killed through direct poisoning or eutrophication

15. Possible solutions • Lifestyle changes and education programmes for all ages • Use micro-organisms to degrade the rubbish and produce fuel pellets • Reduce the use of paper and recycle more paper • Biodegradable materials (e.g. paper bags) should be used in place of plastic ones.

16. Possible solutions • Tax has been placed on plastic bags in shops • Rubbish sorting at home, composting, etc. • Increase incineration temperatures

17. Suggestions for waste minimisation • Reduce – use less, minimise waste. • Re-use – use again, without changing but maybe for a different purpose. • Recycle – change, recover some material and use again.

18. Learning check What are the problems with waste disposal?

19. Answer: • Availability of suitable landfill sites • The toxic or polluting content of fumes from incineration (CO2, other acidic oxides and dioxins – produced from burning plastic) • Decaying waste produces methane gas which contributes to the “greenhouse gases” • Harmful substances may leak into groundwater supplies (wells, lakes, reservoirs) • Plants and animals in rivers and lakes are killed through direct poisoning or eutrophication

20. Learning Check • List possible solutions to these problems.

21. Answer: • Explain: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

22. Bio-degradation: Role of micro-organisms in Waste Management Composting is an aerobic process during which micro-organisms decompose organic matter into a stable substance called compost, which recycles all the nutrients required for plant growth. Since it is aerobic the organic waste mixture must be turned and loosened to allow air into it. This increases the size and number of air pores.

23. Micro-organisms in Waste Management Fungi break down the ‘tougher’ materials in the waste such as lignin and cellulose. Their filamentous structure penetrates the composting material and helps to improve aeration and drainage in the compost heap. Temperatures within a compost heap can reach 70°C as the bacteria and fungi work to breakdown the material.

24. Vermicomposting Composting process using worms to consume food waste.

25. Role of micro-organisms in Pollution Control Composting can reduce environmental pollution caused by disposal of organic wastes in landfills and streams or by incineration. Bacteria and fungi break down organic matter into compost that recycles all the nutrients required for plant growth.

26. Learning check Explain the role of microorganisms in waste management.

27. Answer: • They decompose organic matter into compost which recycles the nutrients required for plant growth • Vermicomposting uses worms to consume the food waste.

28. Landfills: Things to think about: • Cause Environmental, ecological and urban problems. • What are some ways to minimize amount going to landfills? • Where should we put the our trash? • What are some good things about Landfills?

30. Please share with a neighbor 3 things you plan on doing to cut down on your landfill use…