Everyone knows that it’s important to prevent waste from ending up in a landfill site, but how many people truly understand why? As so few people ever see or come into contact with landfill sites, it’s difficult to put into perspective just how much they affect the local environment.
However, understanding the real problem with landfill sites is vitally important. Knowing how our waste disposal practices affect our planet can be a huge motivating factor for real, tangible change. This is true for individuals and businesses. With this in mind, we’ve listed some of the main issues with landfill sites and why the team at Cherry Hill Waste are so committed to recycling as much as possible.
Landfill waste emits harmful greenhouse gases
Finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas levels is vital to the health of our planet. This is because harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are two of the biggest contributors to climate change. Unfortunately, high volumes of carbon dioxide and methane are emitted into the atmosphere as a result of landfill waste. As waste decomposes and breaks down, harmful gases are released, contaminating the local environment and directly contributing to global warming.
Landfill waste affects the local environment
For people who live close to landfill sites, the environmental impact on the local area can be huge and very unpleasant. Aside from the fact that landfill sites are extremely unappealing to look at, they also emit unpleasant odours. Unfortunately, these aren’t the only issues experienced by people who live or work near landfill sites. Decaying waste – particularly food and organic waste – can attract pests, including rats, to the local area. This is just one great reason to recycle your organic and green waste.
Landfill waste pollutes local waterways
Air pollution is a huge problem caused by landfill sites, but water pollution is another worrying issue. Decaying waste creates a toxic substance called leachate which can run into the ground or be washed into local streams and rivers during periods of heavy rainfall. Leachate can contaminate the local water supply, posing a health risk to humans and disrupting delicate ecosystems in lakes and rivers. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent the formation of leachate – but we can minimise how much waste we throw into landfill sites by reducing, reusing and recycling.
At Cherry Hill Waste, we’re committed to doing just this with our range of responsible waste disposal solutions. We offer skip hire solutions to domestic and commercial customers, in addition to environmentally-friendly green and wood waste composting services. Currently, we recycle more than 90% of the waste we collect from our customers in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding areas – but we’re always looking for ways to increase this figure. For more information about our range of eco-conscious waste disposal services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
