How does putting waste in landfill sites add more of an affect to global warming?

Question

How does putting waste in landfill sites add more of an affect to global warming?

Thanks.

Answer 1

it is wasting a good thing to make synthetic fuel from

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:G...

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/15/solutio...

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/03/...

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRele...

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnist...

http://wikicars.org/en/Diesel

http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad2/highlight...

this makes it better to make fuel from then making fuel from food crops.

what a stupid idea that was.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/01/...

Answer 2

It is the impact of the fossil fuels burned in the manufacturing process, transportation, and disposal that is the main impact of using a disposable item rather than a reusable one.  Even using a disposable item (a cup for example) two times instead of once chops that in half.  A single aluminum can equals around six ounces of gasoline in energy cost and carbon release.  Billions of them go in landfills every year.

Answer 3

well the gas that it takes to bring it there and oder that is goes in the air

Answer 4

while the first two answers are valid, I think they're looking at the issue too narrowly.  CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas.  As a matter of fact, the most prominent greenhouse gas is water vapor (95% of all greenhouse gas).  Some of the gases are more reactive than others.

One of the primary byproducts of a landfill is methane released as part of the decomposition process.  A molecule of methane is almost 30 times more reactive in the atmosphere than a molecule of carbon dioxide.

I'm not sure where you live, but in my part of the country, new landfills have to be built with a methane capture system (which is then reprocessed and sold for home heating, smart idea) and my company does alot of work retrofitting older landfills with methane capture systems.

So to answer your question, I think the impact that landfills have on global warming (seperate from other pollution issues) is the input of methane into the atmosphere.

Answer 5

It has no significant effect.  If you calculate all the carbon that is sequestered, you would think the alarmist would like it but as is the case with so many environmental causes; consequences are greatly exaggerated.

Answer 6

AND--- what would you suggest that we do with our trash? We can either bury it--- or burn it.

Answer 7

Does not make a huge impact. We have bi-weekly recycle pick-up, and where do they take it. To the landfill.