What is a landfill?
Landfills are facilities for the disposal of solid waste, the places where cities bury their garbage.
How were the students studying the garbage?
They wore special clothes and used safety equipment. They were also very careful when they open the bags of garbage.
What kind of old things did the students find?
They found newspapers from 1948, forty-year old hot dogs, and lettuce from 1970.
Can you name some hazardous wastes?
Hazardous wastes are poisonous chemicals, batteries, motor oil.
What happens to the batteries if they end up in a landfill?
They often break open. The poison inside them moves through rain water to the bottom of the landfill polluting the natural water in the ground.
What is the problem with recycling?
Unfortunately, recycling is expensive. It takes time, equipment and special treatment.
What materials can be recycled?
Paper, glass, plastic, metal, batteries and organic waste.
Where and when did the first recycling program begin? What was its impact?
It began in Toronto in 1982. The city started it by recycling newspapers. Since then the amount of garbage going into landfills was reduced.
Where and when did the Garbage Project start and where did it spread to?
It started at the University of Arizona in 1973 and spread to other cities in the US, Canada and Mexico.
