What are landfills?
Landfills are places where rubbish is dumped. Landfills take up a lot of land space that could be used as homes for people, animals and plants. Landfills release toxic gases like methane which can lead to global warming. Some modern landfills try to capture methane gas from escaping and use it to produce energy.
What does biodegradable mean?
Not all rubbish is broken down in the same way. Some rubbish is easy to break down and become part of the environment, like food and paper. This type of rubbish is called biodegradable.
Other types of rubbish take years before they can break down. Plastic bags, for example, take more than 20 years to break down!
The effects of land pollution
Land pollution doesn’t only look ugly, it’s also very damaging for the environment and can hurt animals and their habitats. Toxins that are soaked into the land can kill animals and plants. This affects the food chain and eventually an entire ecosystem.
Toxins can also make their way to groundwater, causing water poisoning. Humans can suffer from cancer, skin problems and deformities.
What can we do?
Now that we know how damaging land pollution is for all of us, are you ready to do something about it? Let’s have a look at some things we can do to help keep our planet clean and healthy.
1. Don’t throw things on the floor and make the streets look ugly, put them in a bin where they can be taken to a special place for rubbish. Try and recycle as much as you can.
2. Drink water from a cup or reusable bottle instead of a disposable plastic cup or bottle. Take a reusable bag with you when you go to the supermarket. If everybody did this we would stop millions of plastic bags from being dumped into landfills!
3. Throw away harmful rubbish properly like batteries and computer equipment. These contain lead which can poison the land.
4. Buy fewer things that are packaged in plastic.
5. Composting is when you collect organic (food) waste and store it so it breaks down. Once it’s broken down it can be used as a natural fertiliser for plants. Natural fertilisers aren’t harmful like chemical fertilisers.
6. Grow plants. Plants produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. They help keep the planet balanced and remove toxins from the soil and air.
7. Volunteer to clean up your neighbourhood. In many parts of the world, people organise big events to clean up places that are very dirty.
Did you know?
- Land pollution can dry the land increasing the risk of forest fires.
