Idea Ultimate: Waste / Garbage / Landfills

1. CAUSES

1. One of the most important reasons is our consumer and materialistic culture.
2. Products are not made to last.
3. As the prices have decreased thanks to mass production, if something breaks, we throw it away and buy a new one.
4. Advertisers are also to blame:
   • We are persuaded to follow the latest trend. Clothes which have been worn only a few times and gadgets that are still perfectly usable are discarded because of what the fashion dictates. 
   • They create demand for things we do not need.
5. Most foodstuff is sold in non-biodegradable packaging.
6. People do not recycle.
7. When population rises, the demand for manufactured products grows, which in turn increases waste.

2. SOLUTIONS

1. Companies should make goods that last longer.
2. They should not use so much packaging, or at least use biodegradable kinds.
3. We should not be brainwashed by advertisers and buy what we do not need.
4. Households should separate waste so that a part of it could be recycled.
5. More collection banks for glass, paper and plastic bottles need to be established.
6. People need to be educated and informed about the advantages of recycling and the threats of having countless landfills.
7. Consumers need to avoid purchasing over- packaged products.
8. We should reconsider our consumption habits and only buy what we think is necessary and useful.

3. EFFECTS of Landfills

1. Methane gas is produced during the process of organic matter decay. It is 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping solar radiation and causing global warming.
2. Landfills seriously impact air quality in their vicinity.
3. A huge percentage of landfill toxins infiltrate the soil, reach waterways, and eventually end up in the domestic water and the foods that we consume, causing many diseases.
4. Landfills render the soil and land where they are located unusable. It also destroys the adjacent soil because the toxic chemicals spread into the surrounding soil, upsetting the land ecosystems.
5. Landfill gases, together with a substantial amount of landfill waste, can easily start a fire.