Waste Management is how we handle our trash. Most communities use an integrated approach to waste management. That means they use a variety of ways to handle the trash produced by their community. Some of these include landfilling, recycling, composting, waste reduction, waste-to-energy plants, hazardous waste disposal and litter prevention/control.

Landfilling is the most popular waste disposal method. It has also been around for the longest time. The ancient Greeks began landfilling when they required citizens to take their trash outside the city gates and dispose of it. Dumps, large holes in the ground where trash was dumped, were started. Today we do not use dumps (although some people still call them that). We use sanitary landfills. These healthier holes in the ground differ from dumps because they usually are lined on the bottom with clay, special plastic or a combination of both. They often have water treatment systems built into them and gas treatment systems to handle the methane gas produced by decaying trash. Every day the trash that is dumped is crushed and covered by a layer of soil to keep out animals and to reduce bugs and odor. These healthy holes are regulated by state and federal laws and must meet certain criteria or are closed. Mining landfills is now being done in some communities. Buried trash is dug up to pull out the recyclables and/or to burn the trash at waste-to-energy plants.

Many communities now have recycling efforts under way. Newspaper, glass, metal and plastic are the most common materials recycled, however not every community has the ability to recycle all those items at this time.

Composting is separating the leaves and grass clippings and sometimes other organic materials and placing them in their own area to decompose. After decomposing, they are used as mulch or fertilizer. Some counties or cities have a special composting facility or a contract with a private firm to compost their organics.

Waste reduction is reducing the waste going into the waste stream. This can be done by reusing items or cutting back on the amount of waste produced. Consumers can purchase items with less packaging or buy reusable products to create less throwaway material when they go shopping. Waste reduction has helped a great deal in extending the life of landfills by making us wiser shoppers.

Waste-to-energy or resource recovery plants are facilities that burn trash and convert the energy produced from burning to steam or electricity. They are expensive to build however they reduce the trash volume by 70% so there is less trash to go to the landfill which saves space. They do produce ash which must be sent to a landfill. Most newer facilities have numerous air pollution controls and are heavily regulated but many people still have concerns about them and the ash they produce. The steam or electricity produced by a plant is usually sold to a nearby company to keep the costs of operating lower. The northeast USA seems to have more plants than other parts of the country. This is because they are more limited on landfill space than most other areas.

Hazardous waste disposal has received much more public awareness over the last few years. Many people were not aware how much potentially hazardous waste we use in our homes and dispose of in the normal landfill. Much of this should be separated and taken to a special hazardous landfill (it has double liners and more safety precautions). As hazardous waste education continues, citizens will switch to safer cleaning products or dispose of hazardous material in a safer manner.

Litter prevention/control is a part of waste management and includes community education and participation in planned clean up projects. Litter is harmful to a community in many ways. It hurts community pride, it is expensive and illegal and hurts people, plants and animals. Quick clean up by the community helps reduce the litter problem.

Waste Management is a complex issue for a community. Improper waste disposal could result in serious health problems for the entire population. Citizens benefit from knowing basic facts about waste management so they can make informed personal and community wide decisions.

Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality