Sydney Tomlak | US Environmental Policy Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The average American discards four pounds of waste per day[1]<\/a>. Waste is defined as an unwanted or unuseful material, substance, or by-product[2]<\/a>. As a society, we generate lots of waste. We generate solid, liquid, and gaseous waste every day. These wastes come<\/a> from manufacturing plants, households, schools, and everywhere. But when we put something into our trash bin \u2013 where does it go? It may disappear from our lives, but does it disappear from the planet? The reality is our waste takes a long time to break down or be reused, if ever, and our current waste management practices only extend this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After we place our trash in the bin, it is collected by government agencies or private corporations like General Waste Management and transported to landfill sites. There, it sits – waiting to be decomposed by bacteria, heat, sunlight, and other erosion processes. However, modern-day landfills are designed with layers of clay and rubber to prevent liquid runoff from leaking into the surrounding soil and water. While this protects the environment in one way, it significantly delays decomposition[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just how long does a waste product take to decompose? An orange peel takes 6+ months to decompose. A paper towel takes 2 \u20134 weeks to decompose. A cotton shirt takes 2 \u20133 years to decompose. A piece of cheese takes 4 years to decompose. A cigarette 1 \u20135 years. A plastic bag 10 \u2013 10,000 years. An aluminum can 200 \u2013 400 years. A plastic bottle 450 years. A glass bottle thousands of years. Some items never decompose, like styrofoam and tinfoil[4]<\/a>. Even when something does decompose, does that mean it disappears? Not necessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The definition of decompose is to break down into smaller pieces or elements[5]<\/a>. What happens to the smaller pieces following decomposition? For the waste that is organic, such as food or glass, the smaller pieces can be put back into the environment and used again in other products or processes such as the nutrification of soil or making sand. But for waste that is inorganic, such as plastic bags and plastic bottles, the environment cannot identify what this unknown product is and cannot use it. Leaving us with a ton of small and toxic plastic pieces called microplastics, plastic fragments up to 5 mm<\/a>, in our environment. A staggering statistic is that 10 to 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released every year into our environment[6]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only does the waste in our landfills lie untouched or become small and toxic fragments but it also creates gases that harm our environment. Landfills that pour a layer of clay and rubber over the waste prevent oxygen from getting to the waste and therefore create anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition which produces landfill gas (LFG)[7]<\/a> . Landfill<\/a> gas is fifty percent Methane and fifty percent Carbon Dioxide. Methane and Carbon Dioxide are powerful greenhouse gases and great contributors to climate change which has several consequences for our planet such as ocean acidification, rising sea levels, increasing natural disasters, etc.[8]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do we fix our waste problem? Research and development has<\/a> been done into the creation of substituting harmful or undegradable products for biodegradable or compostable products[9]<\/a> and the creation of bacteria that can actually eat<\/a> microplastics[10]<\/a>. Building off this research there are polices and actions that can be implemented and the federal, state, local, and individual levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The federal government could tax and set regulations for the use and creation of plastics, stryofoams, and other harmful products. As well as providing funding or grants into the research, development, and implementation of reusable, recyclable, compostable products, and plastic-eating bacteria. State governments should enforce these regulations and taxes through monitorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local governments could increase educational programs on the harm of our waste and waste-management practices. While expanding their systems for recycling and composting in terms of spatial area and products accepted. As well as encouraging citizens to recycle and compost and educating citizens on what is accepted and how to do so. As of now there are issues of recyclable items not being recycled by citizens, either not putting recyclable items into the recycling or incorrectly recycling products, or recycling facilities and the limited use of composting by citizens and local municipalities[11]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Individually, you can help our waste problem more than you probably think. You can invest in compostable items and composting at home. You can choose compostable or biodegradable items instead of styrofoams or plastics. You can choose to use reusable products, such as a reusable water bottle or carryout containers, and use them many times instead of using single-use products. You can check with your local recycling facilities and make sure you are recycling everything you can be and are recycling them<\/a> correctly. If you believe your local area could be recycling, composting, or just doing more you can write to your legislators and ask them to do so. Lastly, you can fund or give your time to research adequate substitutions and solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together we can help solve the waste problem we have created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> \u201cHow Long Does It Take for Trash to Decompose? – Sourgum Waste.\u201d n.d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Oxford Languages. 2025. \u201cOxford Dictionaries.\u201d Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> \u201cHow Long Does It Take for Trash to Decompose? – Sourgum Waste.\u201d n.d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> \u201cHow Long Does It Take for Trash to Decompose? – Sourgum Waste.\u201d n.d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> Oxford Languages. 2025. \u201cOxford Dictionaries.\u201d Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> Savchuk, Katia. 2025. \u201cWhat\u2019s<\/a> the Deal with Microplastics, the Material That \u2018Never Goes Away\u2019?\u201d Stanford.edu. Stanford University. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> US EPA. 2024. \u201cBasic Information about Landfill Gas.\u201d US EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. September 20, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/a> Jones, Matthew W., Glen P. Peters, Thomas Gasser, Robbie M. Andrew, Clemens Schwingshackl, Johannes<\/p>\n\n\n\n G\u00fctschow, Richard A. Houghton, Pierre Friedlingstein, Julia Pongratz, and Corinne Le Qu\u00e9r\u00e9. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNational Contributions to Climate Change due to Historical Emissions of Carbon Dioxide, Methane,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and Nitrous Oxide since 1850.\u201d Scientific Data<\/em> 10, no. 1 (March).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/a> Team, Enviroliteracy. 2024. \u201cHow Can We Reduce Microplastic Pollution? – the Environmental Literacy Council.\u201d The Environmental Literacy Council. October 18, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/a> Dutfield, Scott. 2022. \u201cPlastic-Eating Bacteria: Genetic Engineering and Environmental Impact.\u201d Livescience.com. March 23, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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