Impact of Waste on Environment

1. Litter

1.1. Plastics

1.1.1. Reaching our oceans

1.1.2. Marine life ingesting non-degradable material

1.1.3. Causing endangerment of marine species

1.1.4. 91% of plastics is not recycled

1.1.4.1. Need to improve our responsibility of proper recycling

2. Landfills

2.1. Produce leachate

2.1.1. Harmful chemical that poisons earth/soil

2.1.2. Can harm wildlife if they ingest it

2.2. Produces gases such as:

2.2.1. Methane

2.2.2. Carbon dioxide

2.2.3. Ammonia

2.2.4. Sulfides

2.3. Wastes large patches of land and turns them ugly

2.4. Creates land that is no longer usable for growing

3. Global warming

3.1. Above mentioned gases aid in the greenhouse gas effect

3.2. greenhouse gas effect

3.2.1. Greenhouse gas effect relates to global warming and the cooling of the ice-caps and drastic changes in weather patterns.

3.3. Lack of relation of waste and global warming, need to emphasise the link more.

4. Lack of individual responsibility

4.1. Issue has started as a result of poor management of waste by individuals

4.2. Has led to global scale culture of wastefulness

4.3. Lack of accountability by companies and governments

4.4. Drastic strategies put in place my Victorian government through ban of single use plastic bags (finally)