7 Things that Should Never Go into Landfills

Posted on 23/01/2024

Some Things That Should Never See a Landfill

You throw out things all the time, right? But have you ever stopped to think, “Should I really be throwing this?” In today’s world, where most people and businesses are striving to be greener and more eco-friendly in their attempt to preserve the diminishing state of nature, there are people who still throw away just about everything they no longer need. And that would be fine if most of it went to a recycling centre where all of it could be reused or repurposed. But most of it actually all goes directly into the rubbish bin; it is taken by the local rubbish collection team and thrown into a landfill. And that is one way you should not practice waste disposal. There are some things that should never see a landfill as they are simply pollutants waiting to happen.

1. Plastic
Plastic is #1 because it is the ultimate offender. Everybody throws away plastic on a daily basis. Plastic cups, broken plastic toys, old plastic decorations – even the plastic bag you sometimes throw it all out with is an offender. Plastic dissolves into all sorts of pollutants and, along with everything else in a landfill, makes for a bad environment and a worse state of nature. Do avoid throwing it out. Plastic can and will be most beneficial with waste recycling.

2. Paint
Paint pollutes. It is as simple as that – it is among the worst hazardous household waste items you could find in any house. And you will be surprised at how many people actually throw it away. Some people don’t even do it on purpose. They simply use up a can of paint and throw it away, but there are still paint leftovers inside. Thrown into a landfill, it literally makes the environment toxic.

3. Light bulbs
Light bulbs contain mercury and if that mercury goes free when the bulb gets broken (and it will be broken if it reaches a landfill), it pollutes the air. In short, don’t throw your light bulbs away; recycle them at your local supermarket.

4. Electronics
Do you have any idea how much electronic equipment gets thrown into landfills on a daily basis? Well, it is about more than half of the heavy metal sent for rubbish disposal to landfills, and almost half of the lead in landfills. How is that for a statistic? Every time some piece of technology becomes obsolete, it finds its way to a landfill where all the metal and lead do no good.

5. Oil
Yes, oil. As in, motor oil. The thing people sometimes pour down their sinks or throw away as a leftover in the container it was in. Well, how’s that for a statistic – the disposal of motor oil causes contamination. If a drop of oil touches water, it contaminates about a million drops of it. Now imagine what a gallon of oil poured down the drain will do.

6. Batteries
Recycle your batteries. There are so many bad things that a battery can do in a landfill. It contaminates not only the air, but everything around it if it begins dissolving. Check your local supermarket for battery recycling areas and do not throw them away in just any garbage disposal bin.

7. Thermometers
Or, more precisely, mercury thermometers. As established, mercury is bad for the environment, and that’s being meek. And then there are people who buy a new thermometer at the pharmacy and immediately throw the old one into the waste collection bin. That is among the worst things you can do for your surroundings.

Review the list as many times as you can and remember – none of these should ever see the insides of a landfill. When you are doing your house clearance, remember that these should all be recycled and reused as something more useful and not thrown away to be something that will hurt the environment. Do your waste disposal the smart way.