| Wastes with high moisture content or which receive | | | | and recycling will help address global climate change |
| artificial irrigation, rainwater, surface or groundwater | | | | by decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas |
| infiltration produce leachate and methane gas at a | | | | emissions and saving energy (US Environmental |
| high rate. It has been shown, from one study that | | | | Protection Agency). |
| once a dump is saturated, annual precipitation of 36 | | | | The fact is that global warming, also known as the |
| inches per year which exists in certain parts of the | | | | greenhouse gas effect, remains controversial in many |
| world can percolate 1 million gallons of contaminated | | | | quarters. Many still question the basis of the |
| water per acre annually. | | | | prediction of climate change. However, Under the |
| This is a lot of contaminated water - also known as | | | | 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the United States agreed in |
| leachate or garbage juice! This contaminated water is | | | | principle to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases |
| ten to 1,000 times more contaminated and damaging | | | | to somewhat below 1990 levels by the period |
| to the local surface and groundwater than sewage, | | | | 2008-2012. |
| although it contains few human disease organisms | | | | In 1997 global cooling was a big environmental worry |
| (pathogens) and much fewer than sewage. | | | | and an issue back then, but few paid attention to |
| All nations also produce huge quantities of scrap tires. | | | | that either, and the concerns were soon found to be |
| Waste scrap tires present landfill problems. They are | | | | unfounded. The perspective in global cooling is similar |
| hard to compact, may rise to the surface over time | | | | to the way people view global warming now. |
| in poorly compacted waste and provide dangerous | | | | Landfill methane is an excellent and frequently |
| breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rats, in the | | | | untapped resource. Most times gases are simply |
| water which collects in them. They also unfortunately | | | | flared or burned in the atmosphere, which is much |
| do not disintegrate to reduce their volume in | | | | less contributory to the greenhouse gas build-up |
| stockpiling. | | | | which worries us all, than just letting the methane |
| Also if industrial hazardous wastes are landfilled the | | | | (landfill gas) escape without flaring. Landfill methane is |
| waste materials that will often be found in the site | | | | typically flared in the developed nations, and almost |
| will be such that the sites will later be classed as | | | | never flared in the developing world\'s nations. |
| contaminated land and do not meet the | | | | Opinions about landfill gas as an emissions problem, |
| contaminated soil criteria. This is to be expected | | | | and even the producer of significant greenhouse gas |
| where regulatory control is poor but the cost to the | | | | emissions vary across the US. We have been made |
| community is hugely greater than paying for good | | | | aware that state regulators consider methane to be |
| regulation in the first place. | | | | a minor problem in New Mexico, due to the dry |
| It is not realized by many in the community at large | | | | climate. However, Albuquerque is treating at least one |
| that waste prevention and recycling are critical to | | | | serious methane problem with a high priority. |
| reducing or stopping climate change. Waste-to-energy | | | | State-by-state analyses nevertheless, do show a |
| (WTE) plants create heat and electricity from burning | | | | large and untapped potential for biomass-fired |
| mixed solid waste. Because of high corrosion in the | | | | electricity generation. A very separate question, of |
| boilers, the steam temperature in WTE plants may | | | | course, is how much of this potential makes financial, |
| end up being less than 400 degrees Celsius. This has | | | | environmental, or political sense. |
| to be avoided because at these temperatures of | | | | However, interest in the use of landfill gas to fuel |
| combustion many hazardous by-products of | | | | electricity generation is growing. Landfill methane is |
| incomplete combustion will be present which are very | | | | collected at a growing number of landfill sites and |
| harmful to the local environment and the health of | | | | burned for energy production which mitigates the |
| future occupants, if not cleaned up. | | | | global warming effect of the methane as well as |
| But, the adoption of large scale waste prevention | | | | producing electricity and/or heat. |