Are Landfills bad for the environment? – The short answer is yes, and the long answer is also yes. But do we have any better alternatives? According to the UK Government’s Statistical Service, in 2012, of 186.2 million tonnes of waste generated by domestic, industrial, and commercial enterprises across the UK, 50% was recovered for recycling. Of the remainder, 26.1% ended up in landfill sites around the country. Doesn’t seem a lot does it? Except that 26.1% still equates to almost 25 million tons of waste going into those holes in the ground. And those holes in the ground are expensive to operate and maintain.
Landfill is Expensive for You and Us:
Landfill sites are not literally ‘just holes in the ground’, but carefully managed waste collection areas divided into cells. Although a landfill site is only supposed to receive waste which contains no toxic chemicals, chemicals often find their way on site in various different guises. Toxic pollutants such as PVC, various acids, lead, mercury, arsenic, and household and industrial cleaning chemicals, are often found in the ‘leachate’, the liquid formed as water permeates through the waste.
Because of this, before any site is licensed, exhaustive tests are carried out on the substrate, and rock strata, to minimise the risk of pollutants entering the country’s waterways, and from there getting into the domestic water supply. But accidents can and do happen. The holes are lined with a 30 to 100 mils thick membrane, to contain the bi-products as the waste is broken down by bacteria. And the leachate, methane, and CO2 gases generated by the process, have to be collected to avoid the risk of pollution, fire, or explosion.
After the Site is Full:
Even after the site is full; has been capped, covered with topsoil, and landscaped with grass, plants, bushes, and saplings, the site continues to be carefully monitored. Any leachate is regularly checked for build-up of toxic chemicals, gases have to be piped away, and deep soil samples are taken, as are grass, bush, plant, and sapling samples, all to be checked for signs of pollution. Although the media may herald the closed landfill site as a new haven for many of the UK’s fast disappearing wildlife, the truth of the matter is the site will not be fit to use for other purposes such as farming, for many, many years to come, if at all.
Cost, Legislation, and Lostock Skip Hire:
As can be seen from that brief insight, the cost of setting up, operating, and site aftercare of a full landfill site, is an expensive business. Add to that the fact, in or out of the EU, the British government is committed to further reducing the amount of waste which goes to landfill, and the cost gets even greater.
Higher licensing fees and tipping taxes continue to increase the spiralling cost of waste disposal. And they’re only going to continue in one direction. At Lostock Skip Hire and other local skip companies such as A1 Skip Hire, we don’t just deliver skips and dispose of full ones. We work closely with all our clients. With our years of experience in the waste collection industry we can advice on what materials are suitable for recycling, and the best way of achieving it.
Does the amount of waste you generate warrant an onsite compactor or baler, or would one of our planned waste collection packages suit you better? Here at Lostock and Preston Skip Hire, our aim is to help minimise your waste disposal bill. Each one of our full skips arrives at our own transfer station. If the waste hasn’t been sorted, we sort it for you. Maximising what can be recycled, and minimising what goes to landfill helps keep our tipping costs down, a saving we can then pass on to you our client.
Whether you are a householder, construction company, commercial enterprise, or manufacturing business, Lostock Skip Hire is not just another waste collection company. We work with you, to help provide a cleaner, greener environment for all. Saving you money, by maximising recycling, and minimising the waste which ends up in one of Britain’s many landfill sites.
