Impacts and CONSEQUENCEs
There are almost 41 million tonnes of rubbish generated each year – that is about 1.9 tonnes from each of us. It is around 3 kg of waste being produced per person each day. As urban growth continues in many of Australia's capital cities, the amount of all these types of waste and the problems caused are constantly increasing. Below are the ways how wastes are disposed and the impacts :
Solid Waste & landfill sites
Limited landfill sites
As there are so much of rubbish being produced everyday, the landfill are running out of space. It is not an easy job to find a suitable location for landfills. , if there are more waste being produced each day, the landfill place is going run out soon. Landfills produce a toxic liquid, called leachate. Leachate is a mixture of organic acids that dissolves in chemicals and rainwater. It can contaminate our surroundings, land and waterways.
When waste is sent to landfill, it can sit there for years or decade for them to biodegrade. Sometimes, it even takes more than a century to be broken down. For instant, plastic bags are an example as it takes more than a century to be broken down. Besides, wastes from landfills also create hazardous gas and waste water that can lead to sickness.
As there are so much of rubbish being produced everyday, the landfill are running out of space. It is not an easy job to find a suitable location for landfills. , if there are more waste being produced each day, the landfill place is going run out soon. Landfills produce a toxic liquid, called leachate. Leachate is a mixture of organic acids that dissolves in chemicals and rainwater. It can contaminate our surroundings, land and waterways.
When waste is sent to landfill, it can sit there for years or decade for them to biodegrade. Sometimes, it even takes more than a century to be broken down. For instant, plastic bags are an example as it takes more than a century to be broken down. Besides, wastes from landfills also create hazardous gas and waste water that can lead to sickness.
Solid waste into oceans & rivers
Solid waste is also another factor to polluted waterways. Around six billion tonnes of waste is discarded into oceans around the world each year. The majority of this rubbish is some form of plastic matter. Common examples are shopping bags, drink bottles, fishing equipment and polystyrene materials (such as tea and coffee cups). The amount of plastic waste found in our oceans also poses a major threat to marine wildlife. Many species can suffocate and die if they consume plastic or become entangled in other forms of debris dumped at sea, such as abandoned fishing nets.
liquid waste INto ocean & rivers
Disposing liquid waste into the ocean can cause an impact on the marine life. These waste affects fish and other marine lives as it would change their ecosystems though surface exposure, ingestion and absorption in a long term. Problems like losing ability to fight off disease, fin erosion, enlarged livers, increased heart rates and other physical effects can occur in fish due to the reaction of leach with the sun light.
Gaseous waste & Air pollution
Another way of discarding waste is by burning the wastes illegally. The reason for them to burn the waste is because the spaces of landfills are running out, the companies have no choices but to choose burning the waste. First, it can reduces its size by 25% from its former bulk. However, the negative side of it is it releases toxins into the atmosphere creating air pollution.
Hazardous gases can cause air pollution as the smell of it is like rotten eggs. It contain poisonous chemicals that can damage the environment and also harmful to human's life. Therefor the wastes from the landfills must be managed properly.
Hazardous gases can cause air pollution as the smell of it is like rotten eggs. It contain poisonous chemicals that can damage the environment and also harmful to human's life. Therefor the wastes from the landfills must be managed properly.