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WHATS IT ALL ABOUT?
Rubbish and waste - the stuff that people throw away when they
no longer need it - is an increasing problem in our community today.
Once our bins are emptied each week, few of us think about where
the rubbish goes, or what happens to it. In reality, as each and
every one of us contributes to waste, each and every one of us should
be taking some responsibility for what happens to it when it leaves
our homes, schools and places of work.
In Northern Ireland, our rubbish is disposed of in landfill sites
–big holes in the ground – where it is dumped, then
compacted by machinery. What’s wrong with doing this? Take
a look below.
1. Our current landfills are very
quickly becoming full. When this happens, new landfills will have
to be created. Landfills are dirty, smelly, noisy and dangerous.
They attract a lot of traffic and pose serious environmental problems
– not what we would want anywhere near our homes.
2. As organic material like food scraps
and garden waste starts to rot down in the landfill site’s
anaerobic (low oxygen) conditions, it releases methane. This is
a greenhouse gas and is therefore harmful to the environment.
3. Water that seeps through the waste
becomes contaminated with toxins. This polluted water sometimes
escapes through cracks in the lining of the landfill site and can
enter the soil or groundwater.
4. Much of what is sent to the landfill,
does not actually need to be there – it could be recycled.
This would also help to preserve the world’s natural resources
i.e. all those materials we extract from the earth to make the things
we need. Recycling will also help reduce the amount of pollution
caused during the extraction of the raw material and the manufacture
of the product.
next: What can be done?
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