Landfills: Ridding The Land Of Everyday Waste

Dangerous Trash
Landfills in today's society are our cheapest solution to ridding the land of everyday waste. Although, this is a convenient alternative to waste solution, it does provide substantial dangers to our environment and health. One of the greatest dangers we face today is the groundwater pollution from lacheates. While they are supposed to protect humans from harmful toxins, but these protective barriers only delay the inevitable due to natural deterioration.
The problem with landfills lacheates is the leakage of many toxins. Since landfills are usually built near large bodies of water, this pollution often goes undetected. Frequent seeping of metals and organic compounds submerge themselves into the ground and into our drinking
Landfills must meet certain requirements and regulations; however these laws usually aren't strict enough to protect our environment. Politics, for the most part, find other ways to avoid major issues of waste and the environment. However, there are applicable laws that landfills must abide by. For example, it is required that wells are placed between landfills and a body of water, if the landfills are placed around water. This is an applicable rule governed by the EPA. Other applicable guidelines include the basic engineering of landfills. All landfills must contain the following to perform as a legalized landfill: a bottom liner, a leachate collection system, a cover, and a natural hydro-geological setting. Other laws that are applied to landfills are waste management regulations. For example, leachates must be lined with clay, contain flexible synthetic membranes; drainage systems (located at the bottom of the leachate) with pipes that attach to a sump to treat the leachate's drainage. The regulations also included a ventilation system at the top of landfills that are taped off. This tapered effects ventilates the landfill to gather methane gas given off from the landfill and is used for industrial or heating use. Compacting of the waste is also helpful in the disintegration of the trash, however, all drivers must be licensed. Overall, I believe the application of major laws in respect to waste are in forced by different agencies or formed comities such as the EPA or NIH. Looking at today's presidential race, the only part of the environment that is looked upon by either candidate is the prevention of nuclear war. Major politicians seem to overlook the fact of overpopulation, global warming, or even ground