Brian Palmer was provoked by his own waste generation to research the amount of waste the entire country creates (see Visualization 3) (Palmer, 2011). While it may be a while for the United States to actually run out of space, we have improved how we dispose of waste – the liquids that filtered through the waste and were being absorbed back into the earth (“leachate”) are now being collected by plastic or clay that lines the pits (Palmer, 2011). The RCRA passed in 1976 had been the leading factor for these improvements, but have also impacted how operators make their money; this is why there are fewer but larger landfill sites around the nation (see Visualization 2) (Palmer, 2011). There are additional tradeoffs since it now takes longer to transport waste (emitting more greenhouse gases), but capacity has increased at sites (see Visualization 2) (Palmer, 2011).

Visualization One, a map of the United States, shows the landfill gas generated nationally. Viewers have the opportunity to search for a particular state using the highlight tool. The visualization has taken data from the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) database, a source that includes a wide variety of information such as physical location, owner organization, area, percent methane, and capacity for landfills recorded in the US. The variables and measures included are the number of landfills per state, the total landfill gas generated (measured in millions of standard cubic feet), the average methane percentage of the gas generated, and the total waste in the state (as measured in tons). The color shade is dependent upon the landfill gas generated – as shown, Texas and California are states with the largest amount of gas generated (350.2mmscfd and 308.1mmscfd), while the bottom of the range is credited to Wyoming (2.0mmscfd) and New Hampshire (2.3mmscfd). Hovering over the map and looking at the tooltip, the average methane percentage of the gas is about 40-50%. According to the World Resources Institute, greenhouse gas emissions (including methane) are too high and it is essential they be reduced to slow the rate of global warming (Bradbury, 2020). Surprisingly, methane is actually 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, proving the urgency needed in limiting emissions (Bradbury, 2020).

The second visualization plots landfill sites in Oregon, along with the state’s major cities to evaluate their proximity. This was also created using the LMOP dataset, but was filtered for only the state of Oregon. The landfill name, county, status, total amount of waste in the landfill (measured in acres), and whether it recirculates leachate are recorded in the tooltip. The color symbolizes whether the site is currently open or closed, and the size represents how many acres of waste are at the site. This measures the capacity of the waste at the site, not how many acres the waste is physically covering. Looking at the visualization, a vast majority of the sites are open. The amount of waste in the landfill ranges from 51.4 acres (Roseburg) to 274.5 acres (Columbia Ridge). The sites are spread throughout the state, but there does not seem to be any patterns or trends in size present based on location. While some cases are unknown, there are more sites that do not recirculate leachate than those that do. This is concerning because leachate recirculation aids in leachate management and improves the sustainability of landfills (“Research project”).

Visualization Three looks at US waste generated over time, but now uses the EPA’s “Materials and Waste Management in the United States Key Facts and Figures” data source. This source tracks the amount of waste thrown in landfills, recycled, and combusted since 1960. It also provides the total amount generated and what kinds of items waste is categorized into. This area chart shows that much waste generated are in landfills, with less being recycled and an even lower amount being combusted. Combustion and recycling have definitely grown in popularity, while landfill amounts have about stagnated over time. In 2017, there was over 267 million tons of waste generated in the United States. The visualization uses a dark reference band to highlight an important piece of legislation, the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This act gave the EPA the authority to control various aspects of waste, from generation and transportation to disposal (“Summary,” 2019). It is not surprising that since the passage of the act, we see the landfill generation steady as recycling has increased tremendously.

In lecture, we have briefly mentioned society’s waste generation. The Adam Ruins Everything clip regarded the amount of waste left behind by hikers on Mount Everest. This was a big revelation to me because there are tons of items being discarded that are turning a natural landmark into a dump, and there doesn’t seem to have been much done about it so far. (This also relates back to the theory of societal self-destruction.) Another example would be the CNBC video summarizing what happens when inventory is left over. Most often, the amount of unsold or returned goods end up being thrown out because it’s cheaper than sending it back through the distribution chain. The video highlighted various measures that have been taken to try to limit future waste, such as donating items, creating new packaging guidelines to minimize waste, using items as power sources (such as burning clothing), and using technology to help consumers find items that better fit their needs or rent clothing.

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References

Bradbury, J., & Obeiter, M. (2020, January 29). 5 Reasons Why It's (Still) Important to Reduce
Fugitive Methane Emissions. Retrieved from https://www.wri.org/blog/2013/05/5-reasons-why-it-s-still-important-reduce-fugitive-methane-emissions

Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) Database. [Data set]. US Environmental Protection Agency.

Materials and Waste Management in the United States Key Facts and Figures. [Data set]. US Environmental Protection Agency.

Palmer, B. (2011, February 15). Landfills: Are we running out of room for our garbage? Retrieved from https://slate.com/technology/2011/02/landfills-are-we-running-out-of-room-for-our-garbage.html

Research project: Leachate recirculation and collection systems. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/research/projects/benefits_of_recirculating_leachate_in_landfills.page

Summary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. (2019, August 15). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act