4 ms·
Matter is neither created nor destroyed. The atomes in the landfill are also still available to be reclaimed.
by nwah1 4y ago
Matter is neither created nor destroyed. The atomes in the landfill are also still available to be reclaimed.
- telotortium 4y agoI think mining landfills is a cool idea in theory, but I've never heard of anyone doing it (the closest is processing old mining slag for more materials).
- elric 4y agoDepends on the landfill, I guess? I would imagine that most modern landfills are lined with heavy duty plastic sheets to prevent all the toxic crap from leaching into the groundwater. What happens to that stuff? I guess some of it will biodegrade over a long period of time, and I'm sure all kinds of animals will attempt to feed on it, but the vast majority of the bulk is no longer part of the ecosystem. For better or for worse. In my part of the world we incinerate most of our waste and turn some of the waste heat into electricity. I wonder what happens to the organic matter in that scenario. Most of it probably ends up as toxic ash which is pretty useless?