Paper takes up 40% of landfills

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:46:45 GMT

clipped by: babs99
clipper's remarks: paper does not biodigrade without oxigen

What product is taking up the most space in US landfills?

The item most frequently encountered in MSW landfills is plain old paper—on average, it accounts for more than 40 percent of a landfill's contents. This proportion has held steady for decades and in some landfills has actually risen. Newspapers alone can take up as much as 13 percent of the space in US landfills.

Organic materials, including paper, do not easily biodegrade once they are disposed of in a landfill. Paper is many times more resistant to deterioration when compacted in a landfill than when it is in open contact with the atmosphere. Research by William Rathje, who runs the Garbage Project , has shown that, when excavated from a landfill, newspapers from the 1960s can be intact and readable.

Plastic Bag Free Nations: China joins in

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:52:34 GMT

clipped by: babs99

Clip Source: www.thedailygreen.com

China has never been considered an environmental role model. Given a population of 1.3 billion, unprecedented carbon emissions and a slew of recent lead-toy scandals, many would say the country stands as a — if not the — prime example of environmental failure.

Yet, in a bolt from the blue, it looks like the red has embraced green.

Yesterday, China’s State Council put a nationwide ban on plastic bags. The cabinet has demanded all stores (from major supermarkets to small shops) go plastic bag-free after June 1.

According to the Daily Mail, China uses more plastic bags than any other country. China squanders 37 million barrels of crude oil on plastic bag production every year. The nationwide ban will no doubt help correct China’s tarnished image, especially before the Beijing Olympic Games.

With nations from Ireland to Uganda — and now China — topping the bag-ban list, lets hope the United States will make moves to follow the trend.

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Paper takes up 40% of landfills

What product is taking up the most space in US landfills?

Plastic Bag Free Nations: China joins in