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Iesha Simmons ENGW-120 Mrs. Higgins Formal Documented Argumentative Essay

The Bahamas needs an effective way to dispose of trash. Are landfills a good idea? As living organisms we cannot avoid the waste we create. Even if it were possible to create zero waste during our lifetimes, we would still leave behind our biological form as waste. (Why Should We Recycle) Universally, we always relied on the same methods to deal with waste as we deal with those who die, specifically burials (landfills). In the past, our society was so small that the volume of waste produced was insignificant. However, as our population increased so did the waste and the possible implications that can affect our immediate and global environment. Slowly but surely, waste management alternatives are being introduced throughout the globe and its about time the Bahamas woke up and took a look at other options. To understand the current fight against waste it would be it would be easier to view it as, A small problem can be described as a drop in the ocean. However, the waste we produce as a Global Community is already the ocean. This further confirms that we should incorporate an alternative method for disposing waste. A few of the current methods used for disposing of waste from various countries are recycling, composting and incineration. As the saying goes, one persons trash is another persons treasure. The same can be said about recycling. Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. (Recycling Basics) Through recycling, it allows you to reduce energy usage, the consumption of fresh and raw materials as well as air and water pollutants. The main benefit of recycling is that it helps protect

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the environment in the most balanced manner possible. With the opportunity to be able to recycle paper, plastic and aluminum, it indicates that many of our resources can be reused multiple times. Fig. 1.1 Explains how recycling various household items can be compared to energy wasted powering a light bulb for extended hours. Composting is the controlled biological decomposition of organic material in the presence of air to form a humus-like material. (Waste Management Options) Compost is describes as a form of decomposed organic matter. Through composting, it allows for biodegradable materials that would normally go into landfills to be decomposed and processed into something that helps the environment, since it can also be used to enrich soil. It does this through regenerating poor soil by increasing the nutrient content with diverse nutrients and microorganisms that will improve plant growth that helps it retain more moisture and will in turn suppress the risk of possible diseases or pests. Furthermore, by allowing organic materials to be composted, it prevents various forms of pollution. These forms of pollution occur, when organic materials are in landfills and they produce the gas known as methane and the liquid known as leachate, which are both very harmful to the environment. Incineration also called combustion, this treatment option burns trash under controlled conditions. As with landfills, different incinerators are pre mitted for different kinds of waste. (Waste Management Option)Incineration is a practical method of disposal that saves a lot of money on the transportation of waste to landfills, and also alleviates the problem of a carbon footprints that occur during the transportation of waste. Additionally, the reduction in the space required to dispose of 10% of waste that it does produce relieves pressure on land, which in urban areas can constitute a big saving. Landfills have never been a pretty site and also give rise to a lot of pests and insects. However, an incinerating plant will look like any other industrial

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structure. Another benefit of incinerators is that some cold countries use the heat from incinerators for heating offices and houses in locations near the plant. In addition, gases and leachates that are produced in landfills by waste are totally eliminated and the waste that is produced in the incineration is totally free of any environmental risk. In fact there are efforts to convert even this waste to other materials. It can be argued that alternative methods are expensive to implement, and in regard to making items reusable again if it is not done correctly it would still end up in landfills regardless. Though this can be argued, the beginning of implementation may be costly but the end result would be beneficial to society and the environment. There are lots of good reasons to compost. Mainly, the best reasons are to, save money, save resources, improve your soil and reduce your impact on the environment. In the aspect of saving money, you should compost because compost is free, therefore there is no need to buy pricey fertilizers for your garden. How to get compost? Well anything that was once alive can be composted. Therefore, yard wastes such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds and the remains of garden plants make excellent compost materials. Also compost helps to retain soil moisture so you water less. As the old saying goes time equals money, with less time embed in worrying about watering plants you can do other activities you enjoy. In regard to saving resources, through composting you can keep valuable materials out of landfills. Thus, it would make space in landfills for non-biodegradable items until something can be done with them to reduce waste intake for landfills. Compost will also reduce the civic cost for waste collection that would then reduce the amount of fuel used. In addition, it will extend the lives of landfills through limiting what goes inside them. According to figure 1.1, it is

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illustrated that residential waste is 40% compostable material. Therefore showing that our resources are not fully maximized. Composting reduces environmental impacts through reducing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from vehicles that are used to transport waste. Also methane that is produced when organic matter breaks down in landfills. In addition, water pollution that occurs as a result of run off chemical fertilizers. There are many composting method, however the secret to successful composting is all in the approach and technique that suits you as well as your lifestyle. The more basic methods of composting are Mulching, Soil Incorporation and Earth Worm Compost. In the mulching method, you would use yard wastes for weed control and water retention. The best types of wastes for this are wood based wastes products such as, leaves, weed, and grass clippings. For this method you can simply spread the collected composted waste beneath the plantings. In regard to woody materials that are more the one inch in diameter, use a clipper or shredder to contain them. In the beginning, all yard material works as mulch but as they decompose they will provide soil enrichment nutrients. The soil incorporation method is known as the simplest method of composting. Kitchen scraps without meats, bones or fatty food are recommended. For this method, everything should be buried at least eight inches below the surface. However, it should be allowed some holes that can be filled for useable garden space in the following season. Although this is the easiest method, because it lacks air some of the nutrients in the compost will be lost. Earth Worm compost uses earth worms to make high quality compost. The recommended materials are food scraps. This method requires the use of a bin with bedding such as peat moss

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for the worms. You must rotate the buried food waste throughout the worm bin. Then every 3-6 months, you should divide the worm population and move half to flush bedding. This method is an efficient way to convert food into high quality compost for household plants. Through composting, you can make various product that can be sold locally. Some of the simpler products made from compost are mulch, various top soils and regular soils. Some may imply that composting is useless because it is time consuming and can be ineffective if not regulated correctly, therefore we should stick with landfills because its easier. However, though they say this, composting is cost efficient can be done relatively anywhere and creates a useable product that if made very will can be sellable.

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Fig. 1.1

Fig. 1.2

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Work Cited