landfill near Orlando, FL

Landfills at Capacity: Florida’s Growing Waste Woes

The issues related to landfills in Florida

Florida, as well as many other areas in the USA suffer from a variety of environmental health and socio-economic problems due to landfills. That’s an even bigger problem as the state grows in population and development.

Environmental Impact

Environmental problems with landfills in Florida, with such unique geography and climate makes the effects of landfills even more harmful, including to the ocean. The state’s high water table and crab limestone that is porous make groundwater contamination with the leachate which can be a toxic liquid formed when rainwater passes through waste quite typical. Once the leachate enters groundwater it contaminates drinking water sources that may cause dangerous health risks to people.

Landfills contribute to air pollution as well. There is more: organic waste, upon decomposition produces methane which happens to be hundred times potent than carbon dioxide and major contributor to climatic changes and global warming. While many contemporary landfills are equipped to capture and use their methane, the systems used for this process can be leaky. Adding to its many other harmful effects, the landfills furthermore confine some quantity of extra unbalanced gases, like volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), that may corrupt air quality and harm human health.

Health Concerns

They contaminate the air with methane, a greenhouse gas that could get 72 times more warming for its weight in our atmosphere over two decades compared to carbon dioxide and closer than they would otherwise be allowed because one by-product of landfills is methane. Communities living close to landfills such as in Orlando, FL have also reported high incidences of issues like respiratory problems, headaches and other health concerns from exposure to landfill gases or dust. In addition to this, landfills provide breeding grounds for pests such as rats and mosquitoes, which can then spread disease.

Space and Capacity

Florida has a rapidly increasing population, which only makes the problem of no more space for landfills even worse. Location of new landfills are impossible to find with the expansion of urban areas. Existing landfills are filling up faster than expected, requiring expansions or new sites. Not only does this use up land that could be put to more productive uses, it is also often opposed by residents on the grounds of external costs.

Recycling and Waste Management

Florida’s waste diversion record has not been great, even with various initiatives to improve recycling and reduce overall waste. However, inadequate recycling infrastructure, low public awareness and differing municipal-level programs making it to easy to send waste material directly into landfills, all contribute to the issue. This highlights not only the importance of better recycling schemes and public outreach to reduce waste volume, but also an industry push towards more sustainable packaging alternatives.

Economic Costs

The economics of landfills is staggering. And, of course, it’s not cheap to build and maintain landfills or monitor them. Further, landfills are environmentally harmful and their presence can have a deleterious impact on surrounding property values as well as local economic development. They add the long-term price tags from cleaning up environmental hazards and caring for diminished populations to already battered state and local budgets.

Community Impact

Florida landfills may create environmental justice issues by disproportionately impacting low-income and minority communities. These communities do not have the political clout to fight landfill projects and face health issues and a degraded level of living.

The challenges of Florida landfills involve in-depth facets covering several environmental, health and economic aspects as well as community impacts. Now more than ever a holistic solution is needed, improved recycling programs and implementing technologies that reduce waste are essential features of modern sustainability. However for equitable solutions we must set the foundation to equitable recycling and landfill locations. Florida must actively work to solve these challenges creating a more sustainable and healthy future for all.