Landfill Intoxication Toxic Pollution

Question: Discuss about theLandfill Intoxicationfor Toxic Pollution. Answer: Introduction Landfills are a site, which is used for the disposal of waste materials. Landfills have proved to be the most common technique of managing waste by burying them in the ground. The principle behind constructing a landfill was to prevent the wastes from getting in contact with the water source (Landfilling principles, 2016). However, the aim is not maintained as the landfill leaks from the top as well as the bottom and this leads to intoxication of the environment. It is imperative to reform this type of waste management practices. This report concentrates on why people are not trying for alternatives to prevent pollution of the environment caused by landfills. Reasons for Need of Alternative of Landfills Although landfills provides an alternative solution for disposal of waste which cannot be recycled or composted, however it is also contributes to air pollution, ground water pollution and increased methane emission in the long term. Methane is one of the toxic gas that is released from landfills and it will have adverse effect on the health of residents living close to landfills. It has also been reported that people exposed to this toxic gases are likely to suffer from lung and cardiovascular disorder (Wegreen-usa.org, 2016).It is necessary to find alternative to landfills to prevent emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and it also minimizes the chance of getting many strategic metals and other forms of energy from the waste (Recycleforgloucestershire.com, 2016). Apart from this the leachates produced from landfills also acts an indirect sources of pollution as it leaks to ground water and pose severe threat to human and animal life. These landfills are also hazardous s ource of harmful substance like arsenic, mercury, PVC and lead (Environmentvictoria.org.au., 2016). Why People are not Trying for Alternatives Lack of civic sense is one of the main reasons why people are not trying for alternatives. The idea of landfill has proved to be a very cost effective method in the past to manage waste however, contamination of soil occurs due to leaching and the groundwater table is polluted too in this way. Since, the people are fixated on the idea that it is a cheap method for disposing waste; it is hard for them to find an alternative. There are several alternative ways of disposing of waste, however, the expense makes people take a u-turn and get comfortable in following primitive means of waste disposal techniques at the expense of causing pollution. Australia is highly dependent on landfills for waste disposal due to its low operating cost. However, they can be stills used now, but the focus should be on designing landfills in such a way that it controls leachates and green house gas emission. It is also important to consider the location of landfills and the soil condition, hydrology and the level of land use near the selected site of landfills (Abs.gov.au., 2016). Alternative Strategies to Follow to Prevent Pollution The Government can take several approach to discourage the use of landfills for waste management. This can be as follows: Imposing strict regulations for setting up landfills and increasing the price of landfills. Increasing partnership of government with private waste management entities to enhance use of alternative form of waste management. Increasing awareness about the environmental hazards of landfill disposal. Certain things may also act as barrier in trying out new waste management strategies. This includes the cost effectiveness of alternative form of disposal, inability to predict the benefits of other technologies, uncertainty about the future effects of the disposal system for the community and vulnerability of the quality of end products. However, this entire barrier can be eliminated by development smart plan for waste management. Alternative Waste Management Plan can be as follows: Use of alternative technologies such as: Biological treatment such as aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion of waste and mechanical biologic treatment. Anaerobic digestion is similar to composting where an organic waste is processed in a close chamber in the absence of oxygen to quickly decompose the waste. The byproduct produced during the process is also useful as biogas is used as fuel and the nutrient rich digestate can be used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. On the other hand, mechanical biological treatment separates residual waste stream into recyclable waste, biological waste and fuel recovery waste. Glass and plastics are removed mechanically and other residues are biologically treated to decompose it (alternatives_to_landfill, 2016). Use of thermal technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis can also be used an alternative form of waste management. Pyrolysis involves thermal degradation of waste material at 500C in the absence of oxygen. In the absence of oxygen, less energy and green house gas emission takes place. The end products like char can be useful in energy generation whereas bio-oil can be used a high calorific fuel (Academia.edu., 2016).Gasification is also useful for waste management and utilize higher temperature of 2000C inned the presence of controlled amount of oxygen and water, it gives similar end products as in pyrolysis. Syngas is also produced as an alternative form of fuel in generating electricity (org, 2016). Adopting approach to prevent generation of waste by Three Rs approach: The government can be take responsibility to inform public about the increase in waste generation compared to increase in population. The community can take part to reduce waste by restricting buying unnecessary things that lead to unnecessary generation of waste. The second approach may be to reuse materials instead of throwing them away. Another effective approach is to recycle waste products instead of disposing it in landfills. Recycling has many benefits as it creates employment and leads to emergence of many industries (The 3 R's Of Solid Waste, 2016). Conclusion The report on alternative replacement for landfill brought into focus the hazardous impact of landfill disposal on environment and why an alternative replacement to landfill is necessary. Secondly, the reasons for why people do not switch to alternative waste management system even when they know the toxic effects of landfills were discussed. It proposed alternative form of waste management practices that government can utilize to reduce waste as well as generate useful byproducts for the society. References: Abs.gov.au. (2016).4613.0 - Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends, 2006. [online] Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/3B0DD93AB123A68BCA257234007B6A2F?OpenDocument [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Academia.edu. (2016).Solid and Hazardous Waste Management: PYROLYSIS OF SOLID WASTE. [online] Available at: https://www.academia.edu/2975332/Solid_and_Hazardous_Waste_Management_Pyrolsis_of_solid_waste [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. alternatives_to_landfill (2016). [online] Available at: https://eis.leics.gov.uk/support/greenerschools/Documents/alternatives_to_landfill.pdf [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Climatetechwiki.org. (2016).Gasification of Municipal Solid Waste for Large-Scale Electricity/Heat | ClimateTechWiki. [online] Available at: https://www.climatetechwiki.org/technology/msw [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Conserve-Energy-Future. (2014).15 Easy Ways To Reduce Landfill Waste - Conserve Energy Future. [online] Available at: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-easy-ways-to-reduce-landfill-waste.php [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Environmentvictoria.org.au. (2016).The problem with landfill | Environment Victoria. [online] Available at: https://environmentvictoria.org.au/content/problem-landfill [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Landfilling principles (2016). 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