Garbage Disposal or Landfill? Factors to Consider
(PRWEB) July 30, 2015 -- By Pam Puckett
According to the EPA, when organic waste is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was commissioned by InSinkErator, a manufacturer of food waste disposers. In the LCA analysis, a community of 30,000 households, using wastewater treatment options to dispose of food waste instead of landfilling, would reduce the carbon footprint, on average, by 1.9million kg, the equivalent of not driving 4.6 million miles.
The most interesting thing I learned from doing a little research is that, like everything in life – the answer is not always clear cut.
There are many factors to consider: the amount of water used, the health of the receiving stream, methane generation and its capture, the ability of a wastewater treatment plants to convert food scraps into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion, etc.
Most experts agree that, all things considered, it’s best to use the disposal vs. a landfill. But, if we are really serious about doing what’s best for the environment, and our communities, we need to be informed. We need to know where our effluent goes and what the best method of disposal for is for that particular service area. To find out where your sewage is treated, you can contact your city’s Public Works Department or your MUD operator if you are not in a city.
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http://www.costelloinc.com/blog
Scott Steiner, On Target Agency, +1 (281) 444-4777, [email protected]
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