Questions That You've Always Wanted Answered

[Le Type Français]

Why is any trash put in landfills and not burned in incinerators?

[Broknwing]

some things can't be burned b/c it's toxic to...however I don't know if they really sort it out at incinerators or not & I know a lot of people are irresponsible with what they toss anyway...

We really should be forced to recycle and sort our toxic/dangerous chemicals out...I know in some areas of FL there are fines if you don't sort out dangerous/toxic items(that includes paint/spraypaint & other things you would not realize)

[Buck503]

Originally Posted by Le Type Français

Why is any trash put in landfills and not burned in incinerators?

Those landfills can often be capped and then later tapped for
methane gas.

[Zoso]

Originally Posted by Buck_Nastier

Those landfills can often be capped and then later tapped for
methane gas.

I've been seeing that on TV recently. I think it's great to get something positive out of a negative. And about incinerating, I think the volume of pollution from waste being burned would hurt the environment much more than a landfill.

[Le Type Français]

Thank you for the responses. Landfills have always concerned and worried me, it seems like we're poisoning the earth's ground. But I'm sure others have this stuff figured out more than I do.

Nuclear waste is also a big concern for me. I read years ago about a new way of producing energy through nuclear means without having waste. Basically, it stated that the energy source would constantly reinvigorate itself by the same means it produces energy.

[Le Type Français]

Originally Posted by Zoso

PHILOSOPHIA EST ARS VITAE

Philosophy is our life?

[Them Bones]

Originally Posted by Le Type Français

Nuclear waste is also a big concern for me. I read years ago about a new way of producing energy through nuclear means without having waste. Basically, it stated that the energy source would constantly reinvigorate itself by the same means it produces energy.

Todd, there's a substance found on the moon called helium 3 that gets deposited there by solar wind. It is basically the perfect fuel for a fusion reactor.

Fusion is the process that occurs in the sun, fission is what happend in our nuclear reactors. If we could harvest helium 3 from the moon, we could fuel fusion reactors that have practically zero nuclear waste.

PHILOSOPHIA EST ARS VITAE

Philosophy is the art of life?

[quadvet]

From what I've been told, the VA SCI center I go to uses an incinerator to generate electricity, for what is burnable yet not toxic [if there is such a thing? ].

Oh, and look how many cities dump into the ocean...

[Tiger Racing]

Originally Posted by Le Type Français

Landfills have always concerned and worried me, it seems like we're poisoning the earth's ground. But I'm sure others have this stuff figured out more than I do.

Google for a description of a modern landfill. They don't just dump stuff in a pile and shovel dirt over it anymore. There's actually a lot of technology involved to try to mitigate any negative effects on the environment. They even build parks and playgrounds on top of them now.

C.

[Le Type Français]

Originally Posted by Them Bones

Todd, there's a substance found on the moon called helium 3 that gets deposited there by solar wind. It is basically the perfect fuel for a fusion reactor.

Fusion is the process that occurs in the sun, fission is what happend in our nuclear reactors. If we could harvest helium 3 from the moon, we could fuel fusion reactors that have practically zero nuclear waste.

Precisely, I believe that is the process I read about.