Landfill sites hide a vast resource of valuable material. The plastic that has been dumped over the past thirty years may turn out to be more valuable than metal.
The world price of plastic has risen so fast that it has now become a valuable commodity. It is much cheaper to recycle plastics than it is to go through the manufacturing process from the beginning. This is partly what the recycling drives on both sides of the Atlantic are about. The conservation of resources and environmental benefits are obvious but industry is only just starting to wake up to the real economic potential of recycled plastics.
Dumped Plastics
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons
However, another rather strange phenomenon has arisen from this, 'garbage mining' (or 'rubbish mining'). During the past twenty years there has been a huge increase in the amount of plastic waste material that has been tipped into landfill sites. Petroleum is at the very core of plastic manufacture and if prices continue to rise, plastic may well end up more expensive than metal. The time is fast approaching when a plastic yoghurt pot could be more valuable than the food inside it. So, huge companies are looking at ways of digging the plastics and other valuable waste, like copper, aluminium and tin, from the landfill sites.
This new found source of buried treasure has its drawbacks though. It is mixed with organic matter which can take up to thirty years to decay. This organic material gives off methane which has been harnessed as a renewable energy source in UK and US. These sites cannot be disturbed until they stop producing this highly volatile gas.
Plastics and such removed form Nauru beach in the South Pacific.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons
Removing the plastics and any other valuable material from the sites where possible will leave room to dispose of other materials in old landfills, instead of having to start new ones. Yesterday's garbage dumps may well turn out to be tomorrow's gold mines.
The major problem in making this scheme work is that there are more than five thousand different kinds of plastic in existence and each one of these needs to be recycled in a specific way.
There may also be a massive environmental benefit to this new awareness of the actual value of plastics. It is estimated that there are more than three million tonnes of discarded plastic floating around in the Pacific Ocean and this has been responsible for the devastation of wildlife in some areas. It is a common sight here to see turtles and other marine creatures suffocated by plastic bags that they mistook for food.
There is a very true saying, 'One man's meat is another man's poison' and the reverse is equally true here
Very well written and informative! Loved it! Thank you!
#2 by RJ Evans, Aug 15, 2008
Great article - thanks for the info!
#3 by Glynis Smy, Aug 15, 2008
Another great one Louie! I can't wait for them to recycle in Cyprus, they are starting very slowly as is the norm for here! ;)
#4 by RJ Chamberlain, Aug 15, 2008
Nice piece Louie. Very informative. Great article for the kids in my class to read. Thanks.
#5 by Bryan Robertson, Aug 16, 2008
Great article. Makes you think about what happens when you don't recycle.
#6 by Judy Sheldon, Aug 16, 2008
Louie, great piece. I am trying to be more conscientious with my waste, and encourage my children and grandchildren to do the same.
#7 by Alexa Gates, Aug 16, 2008
Wow.. maybe i should start to recycle
#8 by Anne Lyken-Garner, Aug 17, 2008
An informative article. WE recycle strictly, and teach our kids how to do so too. Thanks for sharing this.
#9 by Ruby Hawk, Aug 17, 2008
We could be so much greener if only people would recycle and not discard so many things to buy new.
#10 by Darlene McFarlane, Aug 18, 2008
Great article. More people need to do this. We recycle everything that is allowed for our region. We now have "Green Bins" to recycle composting material for those who don't use it for the gardens.
