Land Pollution

Human impact on the terrestrial areas of this planet brings the most visible change to the environment. Since the birth of mankind, our species has colonized and modified land based environments at an alarming rate.

Landfill is a wasteful way to dispose the trash and hazardous waste. Landfill devalues the environment, and currently does not create any usable energy. Landfill is simply a dumping ground which holds pollution and hazardous waste until the community cares enough to address it and to do something about it. (below) The WEST landfill in Hong Kong.

To protect our lands and water, it is important to bring the hazardous materials such as car fluids, oils, paint, and other hazardous wastes to a proper disposal or recycling facility. Sources of pollutants

Styrofoam Cups Since they will never be decomposed. We should use Paper Cups or Reusable Mugs instead. Paper Towels waste forest resources, landfill space and your money. Use dishtowels or turn old clothes into rags. Bleached Coffee Filters Dioxins, the chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate water, air and are related to cancers in humans and animals. Purchase a reusable coffee filter and unbleached paper products. Over- Packaged products Excess packaging wastes natural resources, creates more trash and costs you much more. One third of the trashes are from packaging. Purchase products with minimal or reusable packaging. Light Bulbs As light bulbs are burned out, replace them with compact fluorescents. These use 1/4 the energy of regular bulbs and keep half a ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Fluorescent lamps, used for street lights, floodlights and industrial lighting. When

broken, these lamps release mercury and other metals that damage the environment. Teak and Mahogany Every year 27 million acres of tropical rainforests are destroyed. Rainforests cover only 2% of the earth's surface yet over half of the world's wild plant, animal, and insect species live there. The Amazon rainforest produces 40% of the world's oxygen. Purchase only woods such as ash, beech, cherry, hickory, pine, oak and black walnut, rather than woods that come from rainforests. Chemical Pest Killers The EPA has found at least 73 pesticides in the groundwater of 32 states, posing a serious health threat to people and animals. Purchase organic pest controllers such as diatomaceous earth. Practice integrated pest management - plant in line with environmental constraints. Plant flowers and herbs that can act as natural pesticides. Chemical Glass Cleaners These contain ammonia, which is a harmful poison and unnecessary ingredient. Purchase biodegradable, non-toxic, all purpose cleaners. Try using white vinegar mixed with water, one part each and use newspaper, which can be recycled, instead of paper towels. Plastic bags and Wrap Plastic is important and has made many products safer, but Americans use far too much. Purchase sturdy freezer bags and rinse and reuse these and other plastic bags. Use reusable containers for storing leftovers and other items. Higher Octane Fuel than Your Car Needs Only one car in 10 are manufactured before 1982, these cars require high-octane gasoline. The higher the octane level in fuel, the higher the level of hazardous pollutants that will be released to the air. Purchase the lowest octane fuel your car requires as listed in your owner's manual. Consider traveling by using public transportations, bicycles or even walking. Poor Quality Shoes While poor quality shoes seem like a bargain - they end up costing you and the planet much more due to their shorter life span. They may also damage your feet. Purchase quality shoes that will last, and stay comfortable longer. Tires Disposal and recycling of used tires in landfills is particularly difficult. In the original manufacturing process, sulfur atoms combine with carbon to form a stiff lattice to make the tire rubber hard and extremely durable. While this is good for tire wear, it is almost impossible to reverse the process for recycling using conventional methods. Keep your car aligned and tires rotated, to reduce wear on car tires. Reuse tires to make swings for the kids!

Computer Waste Since 1992, a computer's lifecycle has dropped from 4 to 3 years and is predicted to drop to two years by 2007. This shortening of computers' lifespan will amount to 500 million outdated machines in seven years! Reuse / upgrade your computer. Recycle your computer to keep material from landfills. Such as selling to stores who sell used computers. Or donate it to schools, thrift stores, other families, small businesses, etc. Support companies like Gateway, which takes back computers from consumers after two years, for a discount on the purchase of a new computer, and refurbishes them for resale.

biodegradable waste

When humans produce organic waste it is usually in large volumes and concentrated in the environment. This puts pressure on the detritivores. nondegradable waste o We transform sand into glass, carbon into electricity, and soy beans into plastic. o Sand provides a substrate for plants to grow on but glass doesn't. Carbon can be used for production of biomass but only humans can do this with the help of electricity. Land Pollution in Hong Kong
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Household Hazardous Waste o If not disposed properly, these materials are potentially harmful to the environment: weed killer * antifreeze * pesticides * paint * drain cleaner * paint thinners * motor oil * cleaning products * pool chemicals * gasoline * rodent poisons * asbestos insulation * kerosene * tarnish & rust removers * fluorescent light bulbs * thermostats * batteries * high intensity discharge light bulbs

Causing soil erosion. This happens in many ways such as draining of fens and bogs, but mainly through the introduction and intensification of agriculture. o By encouraging crops to grow and then harvesting them whilst they are containing the nutrients taken up from the soil, we are depleting the nutrients held within that soil thus impoverishing it. o can replace nutrients to the soil through fertilizers but removing organic matter from the soil (i.e. by harvesting it rather than letting it return to the soil) we change the water holding capacity and therefore the stability of the soil. o lower the stability which makes soil more mobile and is hence opened to erosion by wind and

water.

Open dumps pose the following health, safety, and environmental threats: o Fire and explosion o Inhalation of toxic gases o Injury to children playing on or around the dump site o Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies, and rodents o Contamination of streams, rivers and lakes o Contamination of soil and groundwater o Contamination of drinking water o Damage to plant and wildlife habitats o Decrease in the quality of life to nearby residents and the local community Open dumps create a public nuisance, divert land from more productive uses, and depress the value of surrounding land.

What are the solutions ?

Incineration of rubbish o incineration plants generate energy from the heat that is produced in the process of burning the rubbish.

Recycle Recycling is a great way to made a positive impact on the environment. Take most of product packaging such as plastics, glass, cardboard (including unbleached paper towel rolls & cereal-type boxes), tin and aluminum, as well as newspapers, magazines and phonebooks to the nearest recycling unit.

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This puts less trash into landfills and incinerators and helps decrease pollution. This protects our health and environment when harmful substances are removed from the waste stream. Recycling also conserves our natural resources because it reduces the need for raw materials. Paper recycling is estimated to have conserved 200,000 trees each year. Recycling also saves anywhere from 95% to 64% of the energy that would be required to produce goods from new resources, and can cut related air pollution by 95%.

Reduce waste We bring lots of stuff to home. Before bringing them to your home, think carefully whether you really need it. Then think about what else you're bringing home with it. (For example, is it triplewrapped in plastic or smothered with bulky, unnecessary packaging?) o Buy in bulk and you'll eliminate more packaging per item. o Figure out how many bags of trash you throw out in a week and cut it by 1/3. o Use reusable containers. Take a tupperware type container to the restaurants to bring the left-

over food to home , rather than bringing it home in a styrofoam container. Bring your own bag to the store and mock all the people who can't choose between paper and plastic.

If you try to minimize, you'll help keep more products out of landfills and incinerators. You'll also decrease the demand for new products and therefore help to decrease deforestation, exploitation of natural resources, and air and water pollution.

Reuse it! Reusing means try using again the item you were planning to throw away, perhaps for some other purposes, or give it to someone else who could use it. o Donate books, video, CD's and magazines to your local library, used book, video or music stores or even schools (for children and educational materials). o Donate clothes and household items to a charity, community homeless centers, a thrift store or pass it on to the next generation. o Many containers and lids are great for art and craft projects. o Reuse gift wrap, or use children's drawings, calendar pictures, magazine pictures and newspaper comics as gift wrap. o Reuse plastic store bags as garbage bags, and use bread & produce bags for storage or sandwich bags.

Encourage companies, local governments, schools, churches and everyone to buy products with a high recycled content.