Are Our Landfills Almost Full?

Around the world, we’re throwing plenty of products into the rubbish bins — and it’s filling up our landfills. But while we’re throwing things just out of sight, they’re ending up in landfills that are quickly filling up. With populations increasing in many countries, and more packaging entering our rubbish bins, it’s become challenging to decrease the amount of junk thrown away.

Too much rubbish in landfills can harm the environment — as residue from the rubbish leaks into the ground and nearby water, and landfills pile up with products that can’t decompose. What’s more, trucks used to transport rubbish to landfills produce a large carbon footprint, as they are often required to drive long distances.

But there are initiatives that are reducing the amount of waste we create, and it all comes back to the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling is becoming the most popular, as people around the developed world choose to separate their plastics and cardboard to be turned into other goods.

And to reduce the amount of Styrofoam coffee cups and plastic bags thrown away, coffee chains and supermarket stores are promoting reusable mugs and bags to their customers. The UK’s Environment Agency is also requesting that local authorities provide them with information proving where materials finally end up — ensuring recyclable products aren’t ending up thrown away.

But there’s plenty more leading landfills to become full. Each year, over 2 billion disposable nappies are thrown away — making then a major concern when it comes to their effects on the environment. Recently, the Environment Agency released numbers showing that if washed and dried in the correct manner, reusable cloth nappies have the potential to be 40 per cent more environmentally friendly than traditional options.

It’s that mindset which had government officials in the UK touting the switch to reusable nappies as an affordable way to save the environment during tough times.

However, many opponents have come forward to note that laundering cloth nappies consumes energy. A spokesman for the Environment Agency noted that washing reusables at 90 degrees in a half load, and tumble drying would give the cloth nappies a higher carbon footprint than those thrown away.

But ministers are still pushing environmentally friendly nappies as an option everyone can adopt if washed on a cooler setting and line dried. Of course, it takes time to adapt to such changes but the benefits they can offer in the long-term cannot be overlooked.
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Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.