Across the country environmental groups and government agencies are crying out for the need to address our ever growing problem of waste and waste diversion from landfill. As a nation we generate over 160 million tons of solid waste each year, and by the year 2000 it is estimated that this figure will increase to over 190 million tons annually. This deluge of trash is growing steadily, and we are running out of space to bury it. Presently eighty percent of the garbage generated is deposited in landfills, and more than one third of the nation's landfills are projected to be closed within the next few years. Even though several states have ample remaining landfill space, questions are being raised as to whether burying our waste is environmentally responsible and in our nation's best interest.
Many concerns exist regarding the preservation of our natural resources.
Each time a landfill closes, the cost of transportation increases. This cost is then passed on to the local community. Once these locations were exhausted, transfer stations were constructed to transport our waste to larger regional landfills. These landfills occupy a much larger land area and have an increased life span. Unfortunately, this is not a solution to our waste problem, and we have only succeeded in leaving the search for a solution to future generations.