This scares me. Not just the results, but my ignorance towards it.
* Banana Peel
* Paper
* Cigarette Butt
* Wool Cap
* Glass Bottles
* Plastic 6-pack Holder
* Hard Plastic Container
* Aluminum Can
* Rubber Boot Sole
* Tin Can
* Disposable Diaper
JUlie
April 12, 2008 | 6:35 am
What can you do about it? Set up jobs for people to go threw all the trash and seperate it? Sounds okay, recycle what you can and burn the rest.
cecilyvan
April 12, 2008 | 9:23 am
This list refers more to litter than trash in a landfill.
The problem with trash in landfills is that it does not degrade well – it is an anaerobic (without air) and without water environment. Landfills preserve the trash that lies within their cells.
I believe that trash is not sorted, but recycling is – the metals, glass, paper and plastics are separated by type and purchased by manufacturers for re-use. Human power (as well as magnets and cameras) are used in this sorting process.
Burning trash creates dioxins (by-products of combustion and other processes) that are Endocrine disruptors (they mess with human hormones harming reproductive systems especially in unborn babies, infants and children and cause cancer).
Recycling is good, but most plastics aren’t recyclable into the same material – for example, a (Polyethylene Terephthalate) PET/PETE plastic water bottle cannot be recycled into a new water bottle. It will be recycled into fiber for carpet. Carpet is not recyclable when it’s usefulness is over. Thus, the “cycle” of recycle is over with the carpet – which I am sure will be nicely preserved in a landfill.
This scares me. Not just the results, but my ignorance towards it.
* Banana Peel
* Paper
* Cigarette Butt
* Wool Cap
* Glass Bottles
* Plastic 6-pack Holder
* Hard Plastic Container
* Aluminum Can
* Rubber Boot Sole
* Tin Can
* Disposable Diaper
What can you do about it? Set up jobs for people to go threw all the trash and seperate it? Sounds okay, recycle what you can and burn the rest.
This list refers more to litter than trash in a landfill.
The problem with trash in landfills is that it does not degrade well – it is an anaerobic (without air) and without water environment. Landfills preserve the trash that lies within their cells.
I believe that trash is not sorted, but recycling is – the metals, glass, paper and plastics are separated by type and purchased by manufacturers for re-use. Human power (as well as magnets and cameras) are used in this sorting process.
Burning trash creates dioxins (by-products of combustion and other processes) that are Endocrine disruptors (they mess with human hormones harming reproductive systems especially in unborn babies, infants and children and cause cancer).
Recycling is good, but most plastics aren’t recyclable into the same material – for example, a (Polyethylene Terephthalate) PET/PETE plastic water bottle cannot be recycled into a new water bottle. It will be recycled into fiber for carpet. Carpet is not recyclable when it’s usefulness is over. Thus, the “cycle” of recycle is over with the carpet – which I am sure will be nicely preserved in a landfill.