Ge t ting rid of trash safely 409
Getting Rid of Trash Safely
Whatever cannot be reused, recycled, or composted should be gotten rid of
safely. Some people say burning trash is best. Others prefer to bury it, to
avoid the smoke produced by burning trash. The fact is, both of these ways of
disposing of trash have problems.
In places where paper and cardboard cannot be reused, recycled, or
composted, they can be shredded and burned in fires for cooking and
heating. But burning even small amounts of plastic or rubber releases toxic
chemicals such as dioxins, furans, and PCBs that cause many health problems
(see Chapter 16 and page 423).
I burn my trash to keep my
house clean and safe from rats.
I think the
smoke from
plastic is worse
than the rats!
Rats or smoke,
it’s all bad.
Better we
should not
make so much
trash in the
first place.
Waste that cannot be handled in any other way can be buried in small pits or
in a sanitary landfill (see page 412.) For small pit burial, simply dig a pit in an
area away from water sources, put waste in the pit, and cover with soil.
When trash that contains harmful chemicals is buried, these chemicals can
leak into the ground and contaminate drinking water. If there is no safe way to
get rid of toxic trash (for example, by returning it to its manufacturer or treating
it so it is no longer toxic), it is best to put it in a safely-lined sanitary landfill.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012