The Hidden Damage of
Landfills
Published:April 15, 2021•ByKayla Vasarhelyi
The United States has over3,000 active landfills and 10,000 closed landfills .
Landfills are necessary for the proper disposal of solid waste. They reduce
the amount of waste that makes it into the environment, help to prevent
disease transmission, and keep communities clean. However, landfills still
have significant environmental and social impact. While landfills are a
societal necessity, there are practices that can reduce the reliance on
landfills and decrease their effects on the biosphere.
Environmental Impact of Landfills
The most pressing environmental concern regarding landfills is their
release of methane gas. As the organic mass in landfills decompose
methane gas is released.Methane is 84 times more effective at
absorbing the sun’s heat than carbon dioxide, making it one of the most
potent greenhouse gases and a huge contributor to climate change.
Along with methane, landfills also produce carbon dioxide and water
vapor, and trace amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and non
methane organic compounds.These gases can also contribute to climate
change and create smog if left uncontrolled.
The creation of landfills typically means destroying natural habitats for
wildlife. The average landfill size is600 acres. With over 3,000 active
landfills in the United States, as much as 1,800,000 acres of habitat have
been lost.
While landfills are required to have plastic or clay lining by federal
regulation, these liners tend to have leaks. This can result in leachate, a
liquid produced by landfill sites, contaminating nearby water sources,
further damaging ecosystems.
Leachate can contain high levels of ammonia. When ammonia makes its
way into ecosystems it is nitrified to produce nitrate. This nitrate can then
cause eutrophication, or a lack of oxygen due to increased growth of
plant life, in nearby water sources. Eutrophication creates “dead zones”
where animals cannot survive due to lack of oxygen. Along with
ammonia, leachate contains toxins such as mercury due to the presence
of hazardous materials in landfills.
Social Impact of Landfills
Emissions from landfills pose a threat to the health of those who live and
work around landfills. A study in New York found that there is a 12%
increased risk of congenital malformations in children born to families
that lived within a mile of a hazardous waste landfill site.
