After depositing unused food, diapers or unwanted trash into the grey garbage bin, most people move on with their day without giving it a second thought. However, this neglect often affects the environment once trash is deposited. So what happens to the garbage after it is picked up?

Although some hold vague ideas of what happens to refuse, the process remains a mystery to most. Despite common misinformation, the issue of how to sort and dispose of trash proves significant due to long life span.

?I assume trash goes to this huge dump and sits there,? Amanda Weber, ?10, said. ?I know that recycling is important because they can make something new out of the stuff we throw away and if people don?t recycle, some of it will end up in the water and animals can get caught in it.?

Since 1992, 80% of all solid waste of the Fresno area is transferred to the American Avenue Landfill located on American Ave, about four miles west of Madera Ave. Each year they haul 720,000 tons of trash to the landfill from the community.

Leslie Kline works in the Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) as the recycling coordinator. She also is the head of a program to build a permanent hazardous waste facility.

?While there is a wonderful program to accept and manage previously separated recyclables at American Avenue,? Kline said, ?this facility?s primary function is to accept and properly manage garbage after the recyclables have already been addressed.?

As the garbage trucks enter the landfill area, they are sent to the proper unloading zone where employees conduct a hazardous waste check.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, ?Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment.?

The waste is then deposited into specially constructed landfills. Some rise up to 30 ft. above the surrounding countryside. These landfills have a single composite liner system to prevent the leaching of contaminated water in the soil.

?You don?t want to put it (hazardous waste) in the landfill because eventually you will end up drinking it,? Lori Anderson, in the resources division, said. ?It contaminates the groundwater.?

To limit the smell in the air and prevent the wind from blowing trash, the waste is deposited in 12 to 24 inch layers. Then it is compacted with a layer of soil at least six inches thick on top of the trash.

A new biodegradable plastic material can be daily placed on top of the trash instead of the soil. Jesus Apodaca, the disposal site Lead Supervisor, approves of this new technique.

“The film saves air space,” Apodaca said. “This means more life for the landfill and saving money, time and labor.”

This saves money, time and labor for the landfill. This allows extra air space and more trash to be deposited, extending the life of the landfill.
According to the American Avenue website, the landfill will be in use until 2031.

Trash impact in households

People in the community can reduce the effect of trash on the environment by properly disposing of hazardous waste. The City of Fresno sponsors a hazardous waste drop-off for residents to safely dispose of their trash. The next hazardous drop-off will be in the spring.

?We have our Household Hazardous Waste event twice a year,? Anderson said, ?one in the spring and one in the fall.?

Household hazardous waste such as computer monitors, TVs and batteries do not belong in a trashcan and need to be dispose of in a different matter. Other items include tires, rocks, concrete, toxic materials, used motor oil and filters, hot fireplace ashes and hot BBQ coals.

Everyone can play a role in recycling waste and reducing the amount of trash in the landfills.

?If we keep throwing hazardous waste in the landfills it will get into our underground water supplies,? Richard Garcia, ?08, said. ?This can be detrimental to our health and to the health of future generations. We need to instead recycle, because we need to be using our resources as many times as possible so that we don?t fill up our landfills.?

Implications on campus

Willard Neufeld, Peoples Church facility manager, emphasizes the importance of recycling and reducing the amount of trash that fills the landfills.

?We have three big trash bins and one recycle bin, each are four cubit yards,? Neufeld said. ?We are saving 90% of the cost of each dumpster that we fill with recycles rather than trash. That is a very significant amount. The cost savings is over $6,000 a year.?

The recycling waste helps the environment and saves money for the community.

?Landfills are such an expensive option,? Kline said, ?because you have to make sure it is not a health and safety problem.?

Neufeld believes it is important to care for the environment and recycle materials. The campus began a recycling program to reduce the amount of trash in Oct. 2005.

?As a church, we are part of being accountable for what we are doing,? Neufeld said. ?Once we become aware of what we are doing with your trash, we need to set an example for others and reduce the amount of waste.?