The grand narrative of the landfill predates much of modern history. The very first was developed in 3000 B.C. in Knossos, Crete, when people dug deep holes to hide refuse, which they would then cover with dirt. Since then, garbage has been a regularly accepted byproduct of life – one that is tossed and buried, out of sight and out of mind.
Waste management and sanitation were not widely prized for hundreds of years, perpetuating certain standards of living and in many cases, helping to create notorious historical moments, such as the dreaded Bubonic Plague. Paris in the 15th century struggled to maintain city defense as garbage piles rose to monstrous heights directly outside of city walls. In many other European cities, it was common for residents to dispose of rotting food and other trash by tossing it out the window – it was widely believed that wild dogs would consume the refuse.
It wasn’t until 1842 that the “Age of Sanitation” begins, when a report is released that links disease to grimy environmental conditions. From this point on, handling and treating waste is considered a priority to urban planners and city officials alike. Still, most efforts centered around removing the offending disposables and used goods from city sight, resulting in a whole slew of other trials and errors – like floating barges that erupt in flames and prominent waterways full of toxins.
The above excerpt from roadrunnerwm.com/blog/history-of-garbage describes the function of landfills even today. They put garbage out of sight and out of mind and makes it someone else’s problem. But what other options are there?
Some trash can be, and is, handled using the 3 R’s – Reduce (not making it in the first place), Reuse, Recycle. This has been highly successful with metals, glass and paper products and should be practiced more with plastics, but doesn’t make lots of profits for big corporations.
Burning trash is another ancient method of disposal, but in its basic form contributes heavily to air pollution, which is easily linked to multiple serious health problems by epidemiologists.
However, the promise of reducing trash to an inert ash and using the heat generated to produce electricity has prompted scientists and engineers to invent hundreds of process improvements over the last 35 – 40 years, resulting in what is known today as a Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plant. In the US, these are held to EPA MACT (Maximum Available Control Technology) air quality standards, and on the whole are far cleaner and safer than a modern landfill. All of York County’s trash goes to a WTE plant. You can learn more about WTE plants here: [Click to View – Scientific Truth about Waste to Energy]
Most developed countries have outlawed landfills or are in the process of replacing landfills with WTE plants. The US lags behind, with 50% of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) still ending up in landfills and while practically no new landfills are being permitted, only 12% of MSW currently is processed in WTE plants. Why is that?
Simple. A handful of multibillion-dollar corporations with lots of lobbyists and money to spread around that don’t care about people reduce the market for WTE plants by operating landfills.
What’s the solution? Municipality officers that understand their duties to “secure the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the township”1 and the oath they take to protect the Rights of the People to “clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment.“2
Here’s a concise chart comparing landfills to WTE plants, with some particulars about Modern Landfill: [Click to View – Landfills v WTE Rev 2]
1 PA 2nd Class Township 1933 Act 69, § 607 – Duties of Supervisors
2 Article 1. § 27.Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania