There was significant interest — and pushback — on my last column on trash, the dangers of landfills and the benefits of incineration. So, I thought I would continue the discussion this month.
I think there is a lot of misunderstanding of the technologies of landfills and certainly those of incineration.
The following is text from National Geographic, which had a very good reader friendly description as follows:
“Modern landfills are completely sealed to reduce contamination of the nearby groundwater. First, the ground is lined with clay. A thin layer of flexible plastic is placed on top of the clay layer. That allows the collection of leachate, the liquid that passes through the landfill and may draw out toxins from the trash. The leachate is collected though a drainage system that passes this contaminated water through pipes to a pool where it can be treated to remove the toxins before being released back into the environment.
“As trash is laid down into the growing pile, it is compacted into a tightly packed mound. Each day a layer of soil is hauled in to cover the garbage to prevent odors and rodent problems. Therefore, the landfill is mostly made up of compressed layers of trash and soil.
“A completed landfill is sealed with another layer of clay and thin plastic. Then it is covered with several feet of dirt so that plants can grow on top. Although landfills are designed simply to contain the trash, some of it will decompose over time. The decomposition process produces methane, a dangerous and flammable gas. In modern landfills, the methane is collected in pipes so that it can be vented, burned, or even used as an energy source.
“Although modern landfills are designed to keep toxic trash contained, leaks do happen. Therefore,........