When will we mine landfills?

Question

This means removing recycleable and compostables. Methane can be collected from wastewater treatment.

Answer 1

Maybe in your life time. We will run out of tungsten and the only place to get it is from old light bulbs.

Answer 2

We are now. A landfill 20 miles from here is mining Methane and producing electricity.

The way landfills are built today they are tombs. Sealed from water and air by plastic and clay. They are designed to be reused.

Have you ever seen children in poor countries picking through landfills. I have . They are mining today!

Answer 3

When will we run out of resources?  As soon as the mines are empty, people will mine landfills for the riches, like silicon, tungsten, metal, and plastic that they contain.

Answer 4

We already mine some landfills. Mainly for methane. It is not widely practiced throughout most landfills though. Perhaps if the government provided more funding for green research initiatives, landfill mining and other alternatives may be more commercially viable.

Some waste water treatment plants collect waste gases and use them to generate power. Sydney Water presently owns and operates two sewage methane fired cogeneration facilities at the Malabar and Cronulla sewerage treatment plants. These facilities produce electricity, which is sold as renewable energy, and heat, which is used in the sewage treatment process.

There is still a long way to go before other companies and facilities start adopting more environmentally friendly initiatives.