Landfills and The Earth's Lack of Space

Source: SaveOn Energy

A landfill is a man-made structure to store trash that cannot be reused or recycled and is designed to be isolated from air, rain, and groundwater. The purpose is to prevent the waste from coming into contact with the environment, but a lack of oxygen causes the rubbish to decay. This produces gases such as methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report detailing the impact landfills are beginning to have on drinking water. Landfills have also been linked to birth defects and the rise of methane emissions.
Problems:

1. Major source of pollution -- landfills pollute surrounding air, water, and soil. In addition, they often have an impact on surrounding communities and ecosystems.
2. Harbor toxins -- a significant portion of materials found in landfills are chemicals or electronic waste. Electronic waste, such as televisions, often contain hazardous chemicals such as mercury, PVC, and acids. There are also pharmaceutical toxins, unused fertilizer, and expired products.
3. Impact biodiversity -- landfills have a major impact on local biodiversity. Studies (link) have shown that landfills are responsible for the loss of 20-300 species per hectare, including local mammals and birds. Vegetation is also affected, especially native plants.
4. Lead to fires -- the large amount of waste mixed with the gases produced can easily lead to fires. These fires can lead to air pollution and can easily get out of control.

In addition to these critical issues, landfills also take up a significant amount of space. The U.S. alone has over 3,000 active landfills and 10,000 that sit unused. Each landfill spans 300-600 acres. Several states will run out of landfill space within the next decade, meaning that finding a solution is critical.
An expert solution
Qiang He, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Tennessee, worked with colleagues from various departments to design and begin testing a solution to the endless toxic landfills.
Their plan involves placing microbes into an anaerobic digester, which is a system that breaks down organic matter to create fertilizer. By doing this, they will be able to convert carbon from food waste into methane, which in turn can be made into electricity. Any leftover residue would be used as a soil supplement for farmers.

While this solution is not yet being implemented, there are some things that you can do to reduce the impact landfills have on the Earth:

• Recycle -- products like glass, metal, wood, and cardboard can often be recycled.
• Reuse -- there are many opportunities to reuse materials such as bottles and boxes.
• Prevention -- reduce the amount of waste you produce. This can be done through methods such as composting or repurposing materials.

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