How Much Rubbish Goes Into Landfill

Landfills are areas of land or excavated sites which have been carefully designed into or above the ground. When the trash is taken to a landfill, it usually ends up sealed in the ground. Trash decomposition is not much or none existent since there’s no way for air and water to get in. Landfills produce leachate, a type of toxic liquid that is made up of a mixture of rainwater, dissolved chemicals and organic acids. This toxic element can contaminate waterways and surrounding land. It is said that 55 percent of rubbish ends up getting buried in landfills while 33 percent ends up at recycling centers and 12.5 percent are taken to incinerators. When the trash is taken to an incinerator, it undergoes a burning process where it is transformed into ash. The latter is then used to make parking lots or roads. At times, the end product is also