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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