Have you ever wondered where your trash and waste end up after you throw them away? Ideally, we would prefer recycling our waste as much as possible but in reality, 50 percent of the waste end up in landfills.
Putting waste on landfills are cost effective and many of the modern landfills can be environmentally friendly. By actively transferring our wastes into landfills, not only it can keep our living environment clean, it can produce energy, and it can be a great alternative rather than burning waste. It can also help the economy by supporting local businesses and even creates more jobs for people.
While landfills seem like a great and easy solution for getting rid of wastes, they come with many negative impacts that directly affect the environment. Even though landfills eliminate burning trashes and they are a great solution for non-recyclable wastes, it can still lead to soil, ground water, and air pollutions. It can also be a destruction of natural habitats, deforestation, and it can be an endangerment of many species. Many hazardous wastes end up in landfills that not only it would affect negatively on the tourism industry, but it can lead to epidemics or even pandemics due to all the bacterial and contagious diseases that have been gathered in such large spaces.1
There are many benefits in using landfills but they are also followed by many disadvantages that can be harmful in a long-term. We can all start helping by reducing the amount of waste we produce by switching to reusable or recyclable products.
Reference:
- Andreas. (2021, May 3). 35 Important Pros & Cons Of Landfills. E&C. https://environmental-conscience.com/landfills-pros-cons/.