Alternatives to the Landfill

Our goal should be to limit what heads to a landfill! Reducing Consumption Reusing Items Recycling Composting These all reduce the amount of garbage that has to be dealt with in terms of a final resting place!

Review a Landfill Cons – Leachate – Vectors – Aesthetics Pros – Cheapest Method – Provides jobs Garbage overview

Transfer Station The Garbage Trucks come from Curb to Transfer Station Trucks Tip onto the floor into larger trucks/ Semi- trucks that are driven to the Landfill/ Incinerator Elgin's Transfer Station is LEED Certified Elgin's Transfer Station is LEED Certified

More Transfer Station Photos Garbage is loaded in truck Now can head to a landfill Or one of the following.

Open Dumping Pros – Cheap – Resources for some communities – ILLEGAL IN UNITED STATES/ All export related now Cons – Unhealthy – Toxic Colonialism/ The Video Log of a teenager Toxic Colonialism/ The Video Log of a teenager

Exporting Garbage Pros – Immediate Solution – Income for poor countries Cons – Toxic Colonialism, Garbage Imperialism, Environmental racism – Long term effects not known – Expensive to transport

Incineration Pros – Energy Creation – Reduces impacts on landfills – reduces volume sent to landfill – Inexpensive/ but only if generating energy Cons – Air pollution/ scrubbers are used, expensive and must be changed annually – Ash must be housed in Hazardous Landfill – Initial cost is very high – Expensive/ if not using it to generate electricity

Bioreactor Same as incineration

Gasification Gassification Same pros and cons as incineration

Plasma Arc Incineration/ Gasification Simplified Plasma Arc Plasma Arc Commercial Explaination Plasma Arc Commercial Explaination Same pros and cons as incineration

Ocean Dumping Pros – Inexpensive Cons – Debris Floats – Marine organisms impacted – ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES