Landfill gas

05/07/17

“How does our trash pollute the atmosphere?”

 

Humanity has a problem. When municipal solid waste (trash thrown out by the public) gets thrown out in landfills, it will slowly decompose. After nearly a year of being in a landfill, methane producing bacteria will begin to emerge and releases a gas known as landfill gas, which is composed of half methane and half CO2. Landfill gas is so potent that it can actually trap heat at a rate of 28-36 times that of CO2 over a 100 years period!