The landfill that we will visit is located about
5 miles north of Abilene. It is owned by Browning Ferris Industries
(BFI) which is a very large corporation. The city of Abilene pays
them to dispose of our garbage at the landfill. The history of this corporation
can be seen at Handbook
of Texas Online: BROWNING-FERRIS INDUSTRIES .
At the landfill we will observe how the garbage is dumped, compressed and
buried. Key concerns at this disposal site are:
1. Covering the trash at the end of each day. This is
done, in part to keep pests out of the trash.
2. Groundwater contamination. This is prevented by using
an artificial liner under the landfill and also by having a relatively
impermeable earth material under the site. What is the rock material under
this landfill?
3. Methane gas. This is generated as organic waste decomposes
and it can cause a dangerous explosion. BFI collects these gases.
What do they do with them after they are collected?
There are some questions that you should get the answers to for this site:
1. How much garbage is received on average at this site
every day.
2. How many people in local communities are served by
this site.
3. What is the projected life of this landfill?
The people at the landfill can answer these questions.
Some landfills in certain communities are already filled up or close
to it. What are some alternative ways for them to manage their trash. These
were discussed in the video "Down in the Dumps".
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