From Reasons to be Cheerful, April 8, 2022.
In the vast majority of countries, landfills are growing at an unsustainable rate. According to the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), 40 percent of worldwide waste ends up in open, uncontrolled dumpsites. As many as 38 of the 50 largest landfills threaten to pollute the sea and coastal areas, while 64 million people are directly affected by them, often with severe health problems. Perhaps worst of all, landfills’ decomposing trash spews climate-altering methane into the atmosphere. “At the current rate, at least 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions will come from the world’s landfills by 2025,” reports the ISWA.
