Landfill is the name used for the areas where all of our non-organic and un-recycled items go. They are called landfill sites for a very obvious reason - all of our rubbish literally fills the land!
What isn't put in our garden compost bins, our council compost bins or in the recycling ends up at a landfill site.
Landfill waste causes an environmental hazard. Weedkillers in the rubbish, chemicals from car batteries and other dangerous liquids can be washed through the soil, contaminating drinking water. In landfill sites where toxic industrial wastes have been dumped indiscriminately, the land can become poisoned and unsafe for farming or building. Today, waste disposal is regulated by a number of European Community directives which help to ensure that the disposal of waste is controlled and safe.
Action
Collect waste and packaging from the school canteen each day or week and weigh and chart the amount of rubbish caused. Start a campaign to cut down on packaging and chart its success.
Each pupil could make a survey of what is thrown away at home using bar graphs to keep records. This will give some idea of the enormous amount of resources which are thrown away each week.
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