Exploring The Landfill

A few weeks ago we went on a Family Field Trip. It was a field trip I'd been wanting to do for awhile, and an opportunity which doesn't come up very often. We got to check out our local landfill. I was expecting it to be a smelly trip, so don't ask me why I was so set on going, but it was completely different from what I expected.

Since I'd just been reading a book about someone who raises falcons, I was intrigued to meet an actual falconer. This falcon (whose name I can't remember, maybe Luke?) helps control the seagull population at the landfill. He (or she?!) comes in two days a week.

One thing that makes me sad is that very few people in our region use the Green Bin. We can toss a lot of stuff into it (food, food paper products, kleenex, pet waste -- just to name a few), and it saves a lot of stuff from going into our landfill. One things that makes me happy is this picture of my family, especially Dave with his svelte figure and Rachel as the excited Green Bin! Ha ha ha!!!

This is not the most exciting picture ever, but it shows all the different  layers which go into the landfill. I am amazed at all the thought and technology which goes into thoughtfully disposing of the garbage which we throw to the curb once a week. What saddens me is that our region alone produces 700 tonnes of garbage a day. And I don't feel like we live in a really populous area.

What I find hopeful is that recycling started in our region. If you put a blue box full of recycling at your curb, that concept was started in our area by a single garbage collector who thought there had to be a better way. So the cubes of recyclables pictured above are all things which are being diverted from the landfill.

I think the reason I am so passionate about recycling and the diversion of as much garbage as possible, is that it worries me what sort of environment we're leaving for our children. I see Rachel innocently watching a video right now and wonder if she will be cursing my generation in twenty years. So our tour of the landfill was both depressing and hopeful. I feel like there are a lot of things being put into practice to try and divert our garbage from the landfill to places where it can be reused.

This post ended up going in a different direction from what I had intended, but I decided not to change it. I apologize for sharing such deep thoughts on a Monday morning, but if you are fortunate enough to be able to tour your local landfills, you will likely be amazed and challenged, just like I was.