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On top of that, new landfills are much more costly than the older ones they replace. As of 1990, about half of the counties in California had less than 15 years of landfill space remaining. These counties, unfortunately, represent 70 percent of the states population. And Californias population -- now close to 33 million -- keeps growing. If no new landfills are built, we could run out of space to put our garbage by the year 2005. Would you like to live next door to a landfill? Few people would, and thats why finding new space for solid waste is a challenging task. Siting a new landfill can take as many as 14 years; expanding an existing one can take as many as eight years. Fortunately, there is something positive that every Californian can do. If you, and your neighbors, help reduce the amount of garbage you generate, we can help keep our disposal bills, and our number of landfills, low at the same time. State law requires that all cities and counties cut their amount of garbage going to landfills in half by the year 2000. And that law is why we encourage you to reduce and reuse, then recycle and buy recycled. The fact is, over 75 percent of what we throw away can be reduced, reused or recycled. And its easier than you think. You can significantly reduce your garbage by selecting products with the least amount of packaging, buying items in bulk, and buying products that can be used over and over again. Disposable products, while convenient, waste resources. Another way to reduce waste is to address green waste. Keep in mind that leaves and grass clippings account for one-fifth of our garbage and take up a lot of space in our landfills. By mulching or composting your yard waste, you can make a big dent in your garbage and get a batch of home-made soil amendment at the same time. |
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