Impact of waste dumping: air, soil and water pollution

How to process waste remains a pending issue in many cities around the world, especially in the most populous ones due to the large volume of waste generated by its inhabitants. The lack of proper waste management has caused the solid waste disposal become a very serious environmental problem.

Types of waste

Garbage is classified into three large groups, each with different implications for the environment:

• organic: includes biological waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, food scraps, paper and natural fabrics such as silk or cotton. biodegradable waste and they decompose naturally, and can even be recycled as compost or fertilizer.
• Inorganic: composed of minerals and synthetic products such as metal, glass and plastic. These are non-biodegradable waste, and although many of them (such as glass or metal) can be recycled, their slow degradation makes them a long-term environmental problem. Among the most harmful are: electronic waste.
• Sanitary: waste that includes medical products such as gauze, bandages, sanitary pads and disposable diapers. These are particularly problematic due to the rapid accumulation in landfills and their low recycling capacity.

Organic waste They can be recycled to produce plant compost, while most inorganic waste is recyclable (although not without difficulties). Sanitary waste It is, however, one of the most worrying for environmentalists, as it usually includes materials considered to be the most harmful.

With appropriate public policies and greater public awareness of the need to classify and manage waste correctly, part of the environmental problem could be solved. However, this is still far from being a reality in many regions.

The treatment of recyclable waste generates significant benefits, such as the reduction of solid waste that ends up in landfills or the production of compost from organic waste.

Solid waste dumping pollutes air, soil and water

One of the main problems generated by all types of waste is its transfer to landfills, where the indiscriminate mixtures of organic, inorganic and sanitary waste cause serious effects on the air, soil and water. In landfills, waste decomposes, generating polluting gases, while plastic and other inorganic waste can remain for hundreds of years without decomposing.

The indiscriminate disposal of garbage causes pollution in three key areas for the environment:

• Air: The decomposition of waste generates toxic gases that pollute the air, affecting the quality of life in areas near landfills.
• Land: Waste, especially plastics and inorganic elements, directly affect soil fertility, degrading its ability to support plant life.
• Water: Rain can carry polluting substances from waste into nearby bodies of water, affecting both underground and surface sources, in addition to altering the balance of aquatic ecosystems.

The presence of plastic waste in oceans and rivers is a particularly visible problem, generating huge islands of floating plastic in the water, such as the famous "plastic island" in the Pacific, which covers 1.4 million square kilometers.

Air pollution from waste dumping

Among the gases released into the atmosphere during the decomposition of organic waste, the most important are: Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). These gases are extremely harmful to the environment. CO2, for example, has the ability to remain in the atmosphere for more than 500 years, contributing significantly to the climate change.

Methane is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and has a much greater impact than CO2 in the short term. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, amplifying global warming and altering weather patterns. According to scientific estimates, if greenhouse gas production is not drastically reduced, global temperatures could increase by between 1,5ºC and 5,5ºC in the coming decades.

In addition to the greenhouse gas effects, waste dumping also generates suspended particles that affect air quality in surrounding areas. This can have very serious consequences for human health, causing an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially in populations close to active or illegal dumpsites.

Water pollution due to poor waste management

Water is one of the resources most affected by inadequate waste management. Water pollution occurs not only by the direct dumping of waste into rivers and seas, but also by the filtration of toxic substances from landfills through the soil. These substances include heavy metals, leachates and other compounds that significantly alter water quality.

One of the main causes of water pollution is the accumulation of organic and inorganic waste that decomposes, releasing leachate that penetrate the subsoil. These leachates carry toxins and other harmful elements to underground water layers, contaminating aquifers that are often sources of drinking water for many cities. If contaminated water seeps into larger bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes, the impact can be devastating to both aquatic ecosystems and the human communities that rely on those waters for drinking, irrigation or fishing.

Chemicals derived from plastic, fertilizers and other industrial and even agricultural pollutants, such as ammonia and methane, also affect biological processes in water, causing the death of aquatic species and altering natural food chains.

Damage to biodiversity is another of the main effects of this pollution. Numerous animal and plant species can be seriously affected, running the risk of extinction in many cases.

For this reason, it is essential to establish effective mechanisms to reduce the amount of waste that reaches our water sources and ensure proper management of the same to avoid damage to our aquatic ecosystems and, therefore, to human well-being.

Proper treatment of water waste, together with sustainable landfill management practices, could reduce these problems considerably. However, the most effective solution remains the prevention of pollution by reducing waste and implementing recycling and reuse strategies.

The problem of waste is global and its impact is not limited to air, water or soil pollution. The consequences include biodiversity loss, climate change and the degradation of natural landscapes. Although recycling and composting have improved, the only viable long-term solution lies in reducing waste generation.