A bit of a tounge in cheek question, but with a semi serious undertone.
If most waste went into landfill, then in so many hundred years or so when such materials became so rare and processes to deal with this matter more efficient (say using solar power) I wonder if future generations would be delighted by our foresight that we had saved this glass etc for them to recycle and be thrilled to discover this treasure trove of raw material in the ground!
2006-11-10 03:55:52 · 8 answers · asked by D 5 in Environment
I am pleased no one is getting to excited about this one, maybe there is some logic to it.
2006-11-10 04:09:45 · update #1
Recycling is not just about reusing valuable materials. Everything that we recycle (cans, bottles, paper) took energy and resources to produce. Recycling means that the pollution used to initially create the product will not be multiplied and that the resources (ie trees) needed to produce the initial product can be reused. Yes, I am sure that forms of pollution are generated in the act of recycling but if you add up all the factors it turns out to be less than if we kept taking from raw resources.
Remember that it isn't just a matter of making sure we don't hog all of the resources on earth, it is about reducing overall what we as a species consume, and cutting down on unecessary expension of energy. It isn't just a a selfish act to benefit us and our descendants, it is about reducing the damage to the earth which we and billions of other organisms depend on for the very basis of life.
P.S. How much habitat (human or other) will it take to house all of our waste?
2006-11-10 06:39:20 · answer #1 · answered by Pharox 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you see examples of kids in India trawling rubbish its a sorry sight - not sure that's something the next generation will be "thrilled to discover"!
Perhaps you could sweeten the pill for them by throwing away all your jewellery and valuables NOW to put a smile on the faces of future generations?
2006-11-10 12:02:08 · answer #2 · answered by Nick W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We simply don't have enough landfill space, for one thing. Landfills are filling up at very quick rates, and we have to pay more to ship it far away, to more landfills, that will also soon fill up, creating even more problems. We need to find different ways to deal with our waste, rather than just leaving it all for our future generations.
2006-11-10 11:59:18 · answer #3 · answered by consumingfire783 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And I hire you to be the landfill miner! What a dream job.
In all seriousness, I've actually considered landfills as investments because of all the stuff lazy people throw away.
2006-11-10 12:05:08 · answer #4 · answered by CPAKeith 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
good question, and i also guess an archeology career is limited as all we're burying is mouldy stuff.
I'm going to start burying stuff in my garden this weekend, a bit like my own gold reserves, but glass
2006-11-10 12:06:01 · answer #5 · answered by Michael H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not enough space for what would eventually amount to trillions of tons of waste world-wide.
2006-11-10 12:06:54 · answer #6 · answered by michael k 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How would there be enough room for the trash? You should save the environment.
2006-11-10 12:00:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You think too much! lol :o)
2006-11-10 11:58:14 · answer #8 · answered by s4ucym1nx 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋