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Landfills
It has been in the news about the cost for the city to
build a new cell at the landfill. My guess is that most people no very little
about landfills so here we go.
Landfills are
engineered areas where waste is placed into the land. Landfills usually have
liner systems, a leachate collection system
to avoid ground water contamination and
a cover.
Landfills are publicly owned or privately owned. To our
benefit, our landfill is publicly owned. According to the Environmental
Research Foundation, private ownership is looking at the amount of money it can
make from “tipping fees”, regardless of type of waste or where it comes from.
Private landfills can bring in waste from other states under the interstate
commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Where as, publicly owned landfills
have an incentive to collect the least amount of waste possible. They can set
their own rules of what is accepted and are not obligated to take waste from
other states.
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, the breakdown by which different materials contribute to the municipal
solid waste stream is as follows: Paper: 33.9%, Yard Trimmings: 12.9%, Food
Scraps: 12.4%, Plastics: 11.7%, Metals: 7.6%, Rubber, Leather, and Textiles:
7.3%, Glass: 5.3%, Wood: 5.5%, Other: 3.3%.
Here are a few tips that can increase the
life of a landfill cell:
1. Recycle as much as
possible: newspapers, magazines, catalogs, white paper, phone books, aluminum,
tin, cardboard, glass, and plastic. Look for comparable products packaged in
materials that your community recycles.
2. Select products that are
not over packaged, packaged for individual servings, or packaged in
non-recyclable materials.
3. Take a washable, reusable
coffee cup to the office.
4. Recycle junk mail -- save
the letters and envelopes for scratch paper, recycle the white paper, or use the
envelopes that don’t have prepaid postage indicia on them.
5. Use reusable storage
containers for food or look for items that are available in refillable
containers.
6. Bring paper bags back to
the store for the clerks to reuse or bring a reusable cloth bag for your next
round of groceries.
7. Use rechargeable batteries.
8. Leave grass trimmings on
the lawn or compost grass and leaves. Learn how to start a compost pile in your
yard, compost fruit and vegetable trimmings, eggshells, coffee grounds, and
other food waste.
9. Recycle at the office, home
or school -- newspaper, office and computer paper, glass, and cans. Use both
sides of a piece of paper, even just for scratch paper or casual notes or
reminders to yourself and colleagues. Then recycle it.
10. Use cloth napkins, sponges
or dishcloths.
11. Try alternatives to
gift-wrap paper, such as newspaper comics (these can also be recycled), magazine
covers, old maps, or other materials around the house that might otherwise be
thrown out.
12. Select grocery, hardware
and household items that are available in bulk.
13. Take used motor oil, used
car batteries and antifreeze to recycling center.
14. Maintain and repair
durable appliances, electronic equipment, and other products.
15. Sell or donate unwanted
goods rather than discarding them.
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We need ! Making our community a cleaner and nicer
place to live is not someone else's job. It's EVERYONE'S job. Be
part of the solution, join Keep Brownwood Beautiful.
