Comments on: How long does it take for items to bio-degrade? http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/ Keetsa! Blog is about eco-friendly and green stuff. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:51:50 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Marilyn http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-9957 Marilyn Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:07:55 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-9957 I feel like I struggle with this topic every day. I recycle everything that can be recycled and feel badly that there are some things that have to go into the landfill. What really upset me was reading about the giant mass of garbage floating in the N. Pacific that is about twice the size of Texas. We are the laziest bunch of humans ever imagined. I am amazed at how little responsibility many of us feel for this small planet of ours. I feel like I struggle with this topic every day. I recycle everything that can be recycled and feel badly that there are some things that have to go into the landfill.

What really upset me was reading about the giant mass of garbage floating in the N. Pacific that is about twice the size of Texas. We are the laziest bunch of humans ever imagined. I am amazed at how little responsibility many of us feel for this small planet of ours.

]]> By: Susie http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-9889 Susie Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:56:40 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-9889 I just stumbled on your page on StumbleUpon.. :) great to see you guys on here. I just stumbled on your page on StumbleUpon.. :) great to see you guys on here.

]]> By: Dwindle http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Dwindle Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:35:38 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-229 I've always felt prisoners should sort trash for a living. The consumer should have only two kinds of trash, one for biodegradables, one for everything else. The food garbage could be ground and used as fertilizer, and the rest could be sorted by prisoners for recyclables. You would then be left only with things that are not biodegradable nor recyclable. Even non recyclable plastic can be melted together and used as building materials. The electricity wasted by the production of aluminum is disturbing. The advantage to the prisoner idea is, you could have them working in three shifts around the clock, meaning only two thirds of the prisoners would be in the jail at any given time - enhancing their capacity by 33%. I’ve always felt prisoners should sort trash for a living. The consumer should have only two kinds of trash, one for biodegradables, one for everything else. The food garbage could be ground and used as fertilizer, and the rest could be sorted by prisoners for recyclables. You would then be left only with things that are not biodegradable nor recyclable. Even non recyclable plastic can be melted together and used as building materials.

The electricity wasted by the production of aluminum is disturbing.

The advantage to the prisoner idea is, you could have them working in three shifts around the clock, meaning only two thirds of the prisoners would be in the jail at any given time – enhancing their capacity by 33%.

]]> By: Dwindle http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-228 Dwindle Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:27:44 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-228 Well, the bottle would have long since been crushed - it's the plastic I'm wondering about. Essentially, the garbage is ripped apart by construction vehicles with metal wheels about 8 feet wide and 14 feet high, with giant cleats that look like a meat hammer, each about the size of a microwave. Bulldozers continuously mix the garbage, and this process extends for a month while the sun and air (not to mention thousands of seagulls) degrade the trash. It is then buried with soaker hoses which continuously add water and air to the pile for two years. It is then dug up, mixed around again, and buried for another ten. The finished product is used as fill for construction. Some more modern landfills simply shred the garbage as it comes in. One construction project involved dumping 400,000 truckloads of this fill into a valley over the course of 3 years. They then plowed the surrounding hills into it, and created a 3 square mile plot of flat land - in a place where flat lands don't exist. In theory, the garbage shouldn't degrade further to ever sink again, and suposedly the fill is clean enough to not contaminate the groundwater, as the new houses have individual wells about 300 feet deep. Well, the bottle would have long since been crushed – it’s the plastic I’m wondering about. Essentially, the garbage is ripped apart by construction vehicles with metal wheels about 8 feet wide and 14 feet high, with giant cleats that look like a meat hammer, each about the size of a microwave. Bulldozers continuously mix the garbage, and this process extends for a month while the sun and air (not to mention thousands of seagulls) degrade the trash. It is then buried with soaker hoses which continuously add water and air to the pile for two years. It is then dug up, mixed around again, and buried for another ten. The finished product is used as fill for construction. Some more modern landfills simply shred the garbage as it comes in.

One construction project involved dumping 400,000 truckloads of this fill into a valley over the course of 3 years. They then plowed the surrounding hills into it, and created a 3 square mile plot of flat land – in a place where flat lands don’t exist. In theory, the garbage shouldn’t degrade further to ever sink again, and suposedly the fill is clean enough to not contaminate the groundwater, as the new houses have individual wells about 300 feet deep.

]]> By: max http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-210 max Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:29:26 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-210 You know, there's an island in Korea that's made up of landfill. Well they had landfill that started producing natural gas so now they have all kinds of plants growing. They even got a soccer stadium and a golf course on that landfill island. Let me see if I can find more detailed info... You know, there’s an island in Korea that’s made up of landfill. Well they had landfill that started producing natural gas so now they have all kinds of plants growing. They even got a soccer stadium and a golf course on that landfill island. Let me see if I can find more detailed info…

]]> By: Missy http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Missy Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:25:43 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-208 Hi--Dwindle: Thanxs for dropping by, the article doesn't necessarily specify which type of landfill it refers to, but i doubt that a modern landfill speeds the process much from 1 million years, say for the "glass bottles". I'm all ears to any other details on this topic. Thanxs. Hi---Susie: I wonder myself what is the future of our landfills. Hi–Dwindle: Thanxs for dropping by, the article doesn’t necessarily specify which type of landfill it refers to, but i doubt that a modern landfill speeds the process much from 1 million years, say for the “glass bottles”. I’m all ears to any other details on this topic. Thanxs.

Hi—Susie: I wonder myself what is the future of our landfills.

]]> By: Susie http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Susie Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:13:26 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-206 great post! it does make me wonder what would happen when we run out of land to fill up our trash. great post! it does make me wonder what would happen when we run out of land to fill up our trash.

]]> By: Dwindle http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/comment-page-1/#comment-204 Dwindle Sat, 09 Jun 2007 01:53:01 +0000 http://keetsa.com/blog/recycle/how-long-does-it-take-for-items-to-bio-degrade/#comment-204 Does this refer to a modern sanitary landfill? Or simply dumped garbage? A modern landfill is a complicated process designed to accelerate the process. Does this refer to a modern sanitary landfill? Or simply dumped garbage?

A modern landfill is a complicated process designed to accelerate the process.

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