Landfills

Landfills are huge garbage dumps. About 80% of our garbage goes to landfills! These landfills are getting filled up and are running out of room. Soon we will have more and more of them! Do you want to see a place like this where you live?



Look at the chart below. What kinds of things go into a landfill? What things that go into a landfill can be recycled?


 * [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph1a.gif width="38" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph2a.gif width="38" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph3a.gif width="46" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph4a.gif width="43" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph5a.gif width="55" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph6a.gif width="38" height="262" align="bottom"]] || [[image:http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/images/graph7a.gif width="59" height="262" align="bottom"]] ||

Landfills are not good because they pollute our air and water. Plus, they look disgusting! When trash goes into a landfill, our garbage gives off harmful gases. These gases our greenhouse gases, which pollutes are earth and makes our earth hotter. Landfills can also leak poisons into the ground. These poisons go into our streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. This is the water that we drink! Think about this the next time you throw something away!