Reasons People Give For Not Recycling

We all have times where we recycle more or less than other times. Situations present themselves which speak to the ease and convenience of recycling, the conscientious feeling of doing a good thing for the environment and leaving the world a great place for future generations.

On the other hand, however, we tend to let good habits slide if ease and convenience subside or in the cases below, if we don’t truly understand what it really means to recycle like we can or should. 

Paper vs Digital Storage

In the days of digital pictures & information and storing everything in the cloud, is it really necessary to ask if people still record information on paper, print it off and file it away? Is it even possible that people still like to hold a newspaper or an actual book rather than read from a table or computer?

Several studies still show that the majority of people, even young kids, prefer printed books to reading from screens.

Commodities In the Landfill

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75 percent of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is recyclable, but only about 30 percent is actually recycled.

The reason people don't recycle as much as they could is chalked up to poor recycling habits, lack of education and awareness, and limited collection opportunities. These are the greatest challenges in improving the amount of recovered recyclables. Recyclables like paper.

How Do I Dispose of Hazardous Chemicals?

The handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) has become quite a problem over the past couple decades. Items that used to be thrown into the trash, poured down the drain, or dumped in the grass have been proven to pose a health threat when disposed of improperly.

Products that are considered HHW are safe when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, but become hazardous when they are thrown away in a manner that may leach chemicals into the soil or groundwater. Some examples of common HHW include oil-based paints, cleaners, used oils, batteries, household cleaners, fuel, pesticides or other items that contain potentially hazardous ingredients.

Junk Mail Facts and Statistics

Anyone who has a mailbox knows that junk mail has all but become an epidemic, especially in the past few decades.

Direct Mail Advertising (DMA) from places like restaurants, car dealerships, political parties and credit card companies account for the vast majority of the junk mail delivered in the United States. Regardless of the source, DMA, commonly referred to as “junk mail”, poses serious environmental hazards.

How Do I Dispose of Medical Waste?

Medical waste comes in many forms and from many sources. Doctors offices and hospitals are only the beginning. Dental offices, blood banks, and vet clinics also produce medical waste. 

Medical waste can be liquids, solids, semi-solids, or contained gases. They can be manufacturing process byproducts, sludges or spent materials, or simply discarded products. 

Whatever their form, proper management and disposal is essential to protect human health and the environment.

How Can I Dispose of Used Paint Cans?

All paints basically fall under two solvent categories, which define their type: water-based and oil-based.

“Water-based paint actually has water as a solvent, and is most commonly called "latex" paint even though it does not contain latex. Many water-based paints are made with acrylic and may be called "acrylic latex."

Oil-based paint is equally confusing. It isn't actually made with oil; it has a solvent of mineral spirits (also known as paint thinner) or alkyd resin. Alkyd can be thinned with mineral spirits, and latex paint is thinned with water. At the paint store, you can't go wrong with the terms latex paint or alkyd or oil-based paint.”

Diapers in the Landfill

Each year, recycling centers across the nation have to discard disposable diapers into the landfill that people put in with their recycling. Disposable diapers are not only not recyclable, they shouldn’t be put into the landfill….or on your baby for that matter.

It is estimated that 90-95% of babies in the United States wear disposable diapers for approximately 2-21/2 years. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about 20 billion disposable diapers are dumped in landfills each year, accounting for more than 3.5 million tons of waste.”

Why Do Landfills Smell So Bad?

In discussions about the smell surrounding landfills, the common theory is that it’s an overabundance of methane produced by rotting and fermenting material. Well, that is half true.

When organic matter decomposes, it gives off an odor that is most times considered to be offensive. Methane, however, is odorless. This makes it non-offensive to be around initially, but possibly dangerous if it unknowingly collects and ignites.

Why Do Landfills Attract Seagulls?

If you were asked to sit in a lawn chair, close your eyes and simply listen to the beautiful call of the
seagulls around you, you would swear you were sitting by the ocean, or at the very least, Lake Michigan. Upon opening your eyes, you realize your surroundings are different. Much different.

In reality, there are at least twenty-eight different known species of gulls that are commonly referred to as seagulls. Some find them to be soothing and remind them of being at the beach. Others think of gulls as scavengers that are found in noisy flocks that congregate wherever food is available and consider them to be a nuisance.

Discarding Textiles in the Landfill

Textiles, defined as a type of cloth or woven fabric, have been around for several generations. "Anthropologists believe that animal skins and vegetation were adapted into coverings as protection from cold, heat and rain, especially as humans migrated to new climates."

The earliest evidence of weaving comes from impressions of textiles and basketry and nets on little pieces of hard clay, dating from 27,000 years ago and found in Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic.

Will My Trash Driver Go Through My Trash?

When we discard unwanted items in the trash, we expect that they will end up in the landfill to rot
away. 

According to freegan.info, "Dumpster diving is legal in the United States except where prohibited by local regulation. According to a 1988 Supreme Court Ruling (California vs. Greenwood), when a person throws something out, that item is now the public domain.

Industrial Waste and Pollution

Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity and includes any material that is rendered
useless during any manufacturing process. Factories, mills, and mining operations contribute to industrial waste.

The world was introduced to industrial waste during the Industrial Revolution which happened between about 1760 and 1830. Some examples of industrial waste are chemical solvents, paints, sandpaper, paper products, industrial by-products, metals, and other general wastes.

Developing On A Closed Landfill

What becomes of landfills after their use as a landfill is exhausted? 
 
In terms of land development, greenfields are areas that haven't been previously developed, like farmland. 

Brownfields are usually areas that have been contaminated to some degree by industrial activity and aren't necessarily suitable for residential or agricultural use, but can be redeveloped for commercial or industrial use.

By redeveloping old landfill sites, and any other brownfield site, greenfields are saved. On a local level this sometimes does not seem to be an issue, but not using this space means using greenfields for development of residential and industrial areas and losing several acres of nature. 

Running Out Of Space For Landfills?

Americans' use of landfills peaked in the 1980s when we threw nearly 150 million tons of trash each year into landfills. Even today, we throw away more than 100 million tons of garbage yearly. That translates into landfill space possibly being scarce.

In the United States recycling efforts have the ability to divert more than 60 million tons of waste away from landfills yearly, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That amounts to about 32 percent of all of our garbage. As for the remaining trash, where will we continue to put it?

There is a debate between experts as to whether or not we are running out of usable landfill space. Some pay that with the increased number of closed landfills and the increased recycling efforts, we will continue to have ample space for new landfills. Others claim that with the increased population and commercial and residential growth, that we will end up in a space crunch before long.

Waste To Energy...Turning Landfills To Goldmines

With the habits of modern lifestyles causing an increased worldwide waste problem, finding innovative ways to deal with the excessive waste can be a challenge.

Local landfill capacities are being met or exceeded and many first world nations are beginning to export their refuse to third world countries. This practice is having a devastating impact on ecosystems and cultures throughout the world.

Trash...Burn It Or Bury It?

In order to create a sustainable world for future generations, such issues as economic growth, food sources, population, and the management of waste must be addressed. Considering that the estimation of trash being generated by Americans each year reaches over 390 million tons, managing waste ranks toward the top of the list of environmental concerns. In the United States we recycle and compost about 94 million tons of that waste, or roughly 24 percent, but much more could be done.

Landfill Mining Brought To The Surface

When the word "mining" comes to mind, it is usually paired with a commodity like gold, silver, or
coal. Trash and recycling probably do not make your short list of popular items to be mined, but Landfill Mining and Reclamation (LFMR) has become a more popular process. It was first described and documented in 1953 but the process was not applied again until the 1980s. Several developments and process upgrades occurred between these dates making LFMR a more efficient and effective technological breakthrough.

Unmanaged Landfills Can Pollute Groundwater

Water, the most abundant compound in the universe, is also the most widely recognized and used. We rely on this precious commodity for several different things including transportation, washing, cooking, helping things grow and, of course, drinking. Basically speaking, if we ran out of water, all living things on Earth would eventually die.