Garbage: The plague of modern

times

The Landfill

Urgent International and Domestic Problem

Common method of waste disposal

Unsustainable All landfills will eventually leak into the environment

Products Of Landfills

Impacts on ecosystems

Landfills

Water contamination

Products of LandfillsMethane Gas released from decaying matter

VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

Breakdown of Organic and Inorganic Waste

Produces Leachate: liquid with dissolved harmful substances

Water Contamination

Less oxygen in water due to garbage

Growth of Algae - photosynthesis is hindered

Toxic detergents do not decompose

Impacts on Wildlife

Death of fish due to suffocation

Animals can ingest garbage

Disease spreading

Pollutants such as fertilizers disrupt ecosystems

A Three-Pronged SolutionHuman Activities:Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

Biological:Natural Attenuation, Use of Micro-organisms

Chemical:Activated Carbon Filtering

Expected CostsCost of Activated Carbon varies depending on size of landfill and gas emitted:

~$280,000 for a landfill that emits 100 lb/h of gas

Natural Attenuation:

~$326,000 for 2.1 hectares of land: 39 million dollars

for Barrie landfill (121.1 ha)

Works CitedSolid Waste Management In The World’s Cities. Water and sanitation

in the world’s cities 2010. http://www.lenntech.com/library/adsorption/adsorption.htm#ixzz2igZvtg5v

http://www.lenntech.com/library/adsorption/adsorption.htm#ixzz2igZeRUi1http://www.lenntech.com/library/adsorption/adsorption.htm#ixzz2igZVtSSFhttp://

www.water.siemens.com/en/products/activated_carbon/Pages/default.aspx

http://miofi.blogspot.ca/2011/05/cause-and-effects-of-water-pollution-by.html

http://organic-recycling.net/uncategorized/the-problems-with-landfills/