The Problem with Landfill

When it comes to the way that we dispose of household, commercial and industrial waste, most people tend to avoid the subject of landfill – the oldest form of waste removal, in use since the early 20^th century – because it poses a lot of controversy. Here at PWM Skip Hire, we have a variety of different skip sizes that allow our clients the opportunity to choose the most suitable waste disposal method possible and we try to dispose of this waste in the most effective way possible. Read on as we go over the problems that landfills present…

What is a landfill and why are they used?

The term ‘landfill’ is given to an area of land located as far away as possible from human settlements where waste is disposed of. Although this process sounds like a well-designed solution to human rubbish, it is actually one of the most problematic. After all, these sites can stretch for miles upon miles and are often up to 30 metres in depth which means that the materials in these sites can put our environment and health at risk.

How does landfill affect the environment?

Since a landfill is essentially an area that is filled with rubbish, the materials that are placed there tend to stick around for hundreds of years. In fact, it takes almost 450 years for a single plastic bottle to naturally decompose in a landfill due to the lack of air circulation that is available on these sites. As a result, these waste products release harmful gases like methane and carbon dioxide into our environment, putting our ecosystem and health at serious risk. In fact, it is not uncommon for landfills to pollute water supplies too, killing our wildlife at a staggering rate.

How can recycling reduce landfill dependence?

It is no secret that society is dependent on the use of landfills. After all, we throw our rubbish into a plastic bag and then it is taken away by council workers to a location where very few people understand what happens to it. In fact, many people simply do not care! With this said, our planet is most certainly suffering at the hands of our landfill dependence which is why it is important that we recycle as many materials as we can in order to reduce the amount of landfill litter that we create. Luckily, there are many recyclable materials that do not belong in a landfill such as paper, cardboard, wooden, some plastics and even metal.

Here at PWM Skip Hire, we believe that it is our responsibility as waste disposal experts to try and benefit our environment in the most effective way possible. After all, incorrectly placing unsuitable materials in landfill can contaminate drinking water and contribute to global warming. That is why we try to recycle as much of the waste that is placed in our skips upon collection in order to reduce the amount of waste that is taken to landfill. To find out more information, get in contact with the best skip hire Manchester has to offer and speak to a member of the PWM team today!