Recycling Articles : The Basics Of The Landfill

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A landfill consists of a hole into which the rubbish which is taken from our homes is dumped into, covered over and left to decompose. However while this is the very basics of landfills there is much more to them and they have become complex with the advancements in modern technology.

Yet despite the advancements in technology there is still the problem of having to wait a specific period of time for the rubbish to rot. With the amount of rubbish increasing over the years this means that if we carry on the way we are going then we are simply going to run out of space in the landfill.

Landfills now often comprise of very complex systems which aim to keep the amount of pollution down to the very minimum. Instead of being just one huge hole in the ground the landfill is now divided into separate cells, these cells are now lined and then filled with our rubbish before being covered. Along with this elaborate drainage systems have been put in place to ensure that gas doesn’t escape into the environment and there is no leakage into the soil and the surrounding rivers and lakes.

In the UK the landfill is the number one way in which we dispose of our rubbish, however landfills have caused some controversy in the past and aren’t without their problems. The two biggest problems associated with landfills is the fact that they are ugly, which means no one wants to live near them and the impact they can have on the environment if they are poorly managed can lead to seepage which then has an impact on the environment around them.

Another problem now surrounding the landfill is the government is going to be taxed; the reason behind this is to provide funding for alternative waste management. However it means that the government now has to cut down on the amount they are putting into the landfill which has led to them, along with local councils, introducing schemes such as recycling.

This has led to the introduction of the green bin for all your compost, the blue bin for your bottles, cans and glass and the bag for all your paper materials. While this hasn’t gone down well with the majority of homeowners it is clear that we all must take responsibility and do our bit if we are not to run out of landfill space in the future.

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