Where does all the garbage go

[Brian_Fantana]

Full disclosure, I’ve had a few.

I don’t know why it took me 45 years to wonder this, but seriously, how the hell do we have enough unusable land in the US for all our garbage? The amount produced daily is mind blowing. Conservatively let’s assume 25% of recycling actually gets recycled. I cannot comprehend where everything goes. And why can’t we figure out a way to burn it to make more energy than pollution? How can we not find a cheap way to burn shit that doesn’t pollute worse than burying garbage. I know Minneapolis has a faculty that burns a very small %; but there has to be a way to make it profitable

Small side note - grew up on a farm in Iowa and we had a fire pit for all our garbage except the bigger plastic items we took to the dump. I thought it was normal to burn everything for the first 14-15 years of my life. Pretty sure my pops still does

 

[BlIIlken2]

Brah, Midwest mountains.

 

[HROT]

Just move some soil over it.

If you buy a house on an Iowa bluff - might want to check the disclosures.

 

[ericram]

Is this a quiz? I choose landfills and ocean.

 

[win1forthe]

In college, I used to throw garbage. I’d make a trip to the landfill everyday. Those Midwest mountains are real and spectacular.

 

[fredjr82]

If you're Cedar Rapids, you get creative. Name it after a famous mountain and add bike trails to it. CR>QC.

That said, I've always wondered what the hell places like NYC do? No real open land, so where the hell does it go? In Iowa, we just keep digging deeper

 

[QChawks]

Ames

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

Ames

No sarcasm intended. You straight up win poster of the day and it’s only 7:30am.

 

[SeaPA]

We have a "waste to energy" incinerator in my home county; I believe it is one of 10 in Florida. They are in the process of expanding capacity right now, going from 1000 tons per day to 1500

Pasco County, Florida, approves $550M WTE expansion deal with Covanta

It’s the first expansion approved in the U.S. since 2015. The agreement will take the incinerator’s capacity from 1,050 tons per day to 1,565 tons per day, per a release.

www.wastedive.com

 

[ThorneStockton]

No need for the disclosure, it's always obvious

 

[markfromj]

Take a tour of a landfill (e.g. the one in Runnells for DSM). Really interesting. You’ll be surprised, I suspect, at how little land it takes. They have enough land until 2048.

 

[The Tradition]

Take a tour of a landfill (e.g. the one in Runnells for DSM). Really interesting. You’ll be surprised, I suspect, at how little land it takes. They have enough land until 2048.

2048 will be here before you know it....

 

[InsaneHawkJJP]

Why can’t we just launch it into space or bury it on the moon?










I’m not serious.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

I have a landfill probably 4-5 miles from my house. every year when the weather changes, it stinks. somehow it "rolls over" or "turns", it has a moment of decomp or something.

I also have a picker friend. a junker. I collect stuff. bikes and toys from the 70's. he is a picker and junker, finds me stuff. that landfill is on his normal route of junking. they have a thrift shop in there where they grab nice , usable stuff off the trash heap and save it, throw it in the shop. put a few bucks on it. sell it. it's like a dusty and stinky goodwill. I have been in there a few times but not as much as him.

the other day he calls me and he's broke down inside the landfill and I need to get him out before they lock the gates. I go over there and I am pushing him with my minivan front bumper, he has a little piece of crap honda hybrid like an 04 model. batteries no worky. just gas. he lost the key. he later finds it on some keychain or something, i dunno he's a nutcase. anywho it's like a movie. I am pushing him out, we get outside the gate and we stop. security comes, two dudes in this f250 big pick up. we are telling them we are outside the gate and they are saying, "nope still our property... keep on going for like 5 miles and get the heck out of dodge. "

they were basically booting us from the whole town!! ha ha wanted us to probably leave the county. it was glorious

 

[Jimmy McGill]

 

[ottumwan in tx]

Why can’t we just launch it into space or bury it on the moon?










I’m not serious.

I doubt if we could hit the moon since I think we never went there in the first place.

 

[hawkdave007]

Why can’t we just launch it into space or bury it on the moon?










I’m not serious.

We'll eventually have to launch ourselves into space, not the trash 😕

See: WALL-E

 

[CLUB215]

Full disclosure, I’ve had a few.

I don’t know why it took me 45 years to wonder this, but seriously, how the hell do we have enough unusable land in the US for all our garbage? The amount produced daily is mind blowing. Conservatively let’s assume 25% of recycling actually gets recycled. I cannot comprehend where everything goes. And why can’t we figure out a way to burn it to make more energy than pollution? How can we not find a cheap way to burn shit that doesn’t pollute worse than burying garbage. I know Minneapolis has a faculty that burns a very small %; but there has to be a way to make it profitable

Small side note - grew up on a farm in Iowa and we had a fire pit for all our garbage except the bigger plastic items we took to the dump. I thought it was normal to burn everything for the first 14-15 years of my life. Pretty sure my pops still does

Occasionally you can just burn it right at the landfill

Iowa City landfill fire won't be slowed by rain

Rain is not expected to help extinguish the fire that has been burning at the Iowa City landfill for the …

www.thegazette.com

 

[noleclone2]

Landfills and we are running out overall of permitted ones due to NIMBY. Big money in permitting and building them these days.

 

[Kelsers]

I have a landfill probably 4-5 miles from my house. every year when the weather changes, it stinks. somehow it "rolls over" or "turns", it has a moment of decomp or something.

I also have a picker friend. a junker. I collect stuff. bikes and toys from the 70's. he is a picker and junker, finds me stuff. that landfill is on his normal route of junking. they have a thrift shop in there where they grab nice , usable stuff off the trash heap and save it, throw it in the shop. put a few bucks on it. sell it. it's like a dusty and stinky goodwill. I have been in there a few times but not as much as him.

the other day he calls me and he's broke down inside the landfill and I need to get him out before they lock the gates. I go over there and I am pushing him with my minivan front bumper, he has a little piece of crap honda hybrid like an 04 model. batteries no worky. just gas. he lost the key. he later finds it on some keychain or something, i dunno he's a nutcase. anywho it's like a movie. I am pushing him out, we get outside the gate and we stop. security comes, two dudes in this f250 big pick up. we are telling them we are outside the gate and they are saying, "nope still our property... keep on going for like 5 miles and get the heck out of dodge. "

they were basically booting us from the whole town!! ha ha wanted us to probably leave the county. it was glorious

Takes one to know one, I guess. I don't blame him. Most on here would prefer you leave the country.

 

[Kelsers]

Ames

Ironically, Ames burns a lot of their waste at their power plant, and hauls the rest to another county.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I read this book years ago (pretty sure it’s one I’m thinking about).

The daily flow of goods into New York City and the daily flow of waste out is simply staggering.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Is this a quiz? I choose landfills and ocean.

Hah. Nah - had a few too many playing a golf simulator and got home and the news was doing a story on the overflowing landfills and shipping garbage to other countries. Just made me think about it