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Landfill

Composting

The composting of organic materials for reuse in gardening and in agriculture can help alleviate the problem of using land to dispose of waste material. Plant and food substances are biodegradable, which means they are capable of decomposing through the agency of bacteria, fungi, and other living organisms. Temperature and sunlight play a role in the decomposition of biodegradable substances as well. When substances are not biodegradable, they may remain in the environment and may be capable of polluting the soil and water of an area if they are toxic. Some biodegradable pollutants may also be capable of causing harm to the environment.

Substances that in the past were freely disposed of by dumping are now being considered by many municipalities for recycling as compost, such as weeds, leaves, and cut grass. Many communities throughout the country encourage people to compost plant material and use it as humus in their gardens. Since plant material is biodegradable this is a significant way to reduce solid waste problems for towns and cities. Other significant efforts involve the use of composted sewage sludge for soil application on farms, yards, and golf courses.

Resources

Books

Beatley, Thomas. Green Urbanism. Washington DC: Island Press, 2000.

Forster, Christopher F. Environmental Biotechnology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1987.

McConnell, Robert, and Daniel Abel. Environmental Issues: Measuring, Analyzing, Evaluating. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Robinson, William D. The Solid Waste Handbook. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1986.

Periodicals

"Composting: Nature's Recycling Program." Consumer Reports February 1994: 112.

Ladesich, Jim. "Composting Comes of Age." American City & County July 1993: 1012.

Magnuson, Anne. "Garbage: Gold at the End of the Rainbow." American City & County July 1993: 48.

"Managing Land Use And Land-Cover Change: The New Jersey Pinelands." Annals of The Association of American Geographers 89, no. 2 (1999): 220.

"Solid Waste Management." American City & County July 1993: 3, 13.

Vita Richman

KEY TERMS

Aerobic: —Requiring or in the presence of oxygen.
Anaerobic: —Describes biological processes that take place in the absence of oxygen.
Baling: —Compacting solid waste under heavy pressure to form a compressed bundle.
Biodegradable: —Able to decompose naturally through the agency of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.
Biodigester: —A landfill that uses methods to hasten the decomposition of its solid waste materials.
Compacting: —The practice of compressing solid waste to take up less space.
Composting: —The process by which organic waste, such as yard waste, food waste, and paper, is broken down by microorganisms and turned into a useful product for improving soil.
Density: —The amount of mass of a substance per unit volume.
Fault: —A fracture in the earth's crust accompanied by a displacement of one side relative to the other.
Floodplain: —The flat, low-lying area adjacent to a river or stream that becomes covered with water during flooding; flood waters deposit sand, silt and clay on this surface.
Groundwater: —Water within the earth that supplies wells and springs.
Humus: —Organic material made up of well-decomposed, high molecular-weight compounds. Humus contributes to soil tilth, and is a kind of organic fertilizer.
Incineration: —The burning of solid waste as a disposal method.
Inorganic solids: —Solids composed of compounds lacking carbon.
Leachate: —Excess rainwater draining from a landfill.
Organic solids: —Solids composed of compounds containing carbon.
Permeable: —Having small openings that allow liquids and gases to pass through.
Recycling: —The use of disused (or waste) materials, also known as secondary materials or recyclables, to produce new products.
Shredding: —The milling of solid wastes before disposal in the landfill.
Water table: —The upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Kabbalah Mysticism - Types Of Kabbalah to LarynxLandfill - Sanitary Landfill, Method Types, Decomposition, Operating Principles, Alternatives To Landfills, Recycling, Composting