Where does your trash go?
MUNICIPAL waste is burned or burried.
burn
Waste that is burned in an incinerator undergoes a process called “waste-to-energy". NYC’s waste is sent to 3 incinerators :
Newark, NJ
Niagara Falls, NY
Chester, PA
buRrY
Waste that is burried in a landfill. NYC waste is sent to:
Seneca Falls, NY
Lee County, SC
Jetersville, VA
Waverly, VA
The problem with landfills:
Landfills can produce objectionable odors and landfill gas can move through soil and collect in nearby buildings. Of the gases produced in landfills, ammonia, sulfides, methane, and carbon dioxide are of most concern. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are responsible for most of the odors at landfills. Methane is flammable and concentrations have sometimes exceeded explosive levels indoors. Methane and carbon dioxide can also collect in nearby buildings and displace oxygen.
Specific issues:
Odors in landfill gas are caused primarily by hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which are produced during breakdown of waste material.
Hydrogen sulfide has the foul smell of rotten eggs, while ammonia has a strong pungent odor.
Short-term exposures of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in air can cause coughing, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headache, nausea, and breathing difficulties.
Reported health complaints included eye, throat and lung irritation, nausea, headache, nasal blockage, sleeping difficulties, weight loss, chest pain, and aggravation of asthma.
Methane is the major component of natural gas. It is highly flammable and can form explosive mixtures with air if it concentrates in an enclosed space with poor ventilation.
The range of air concentrations at which methane levels are considered to be an explosion hazard is 5 to 15% of the total air volume. Landfill gas explosions are not common occurrences.
