The tour started at 1pm and lasted until 5:15. We toured the facilities in the above order. There were about 36 of us people...from Liberalists to engineers to average joe to GRCC students. I was the only GRCC "average student." The other four were from the student paper. All 36 of us got a big yellow school bus and drove to the mentioned facilities.
The "sponsor" was a slightly left yet hip female manufacturing professor. She came up with the idea for this tour and presented it to the Continuing Learning Center. She thinks in manufacturing and thought it would be neat for people to see the manufacturing side of garabage. She originally wanted to take just her class, but thought why not invited the public?
1. The landfill. The landfill is owned and operated by the county. Our tour guide was the "spokeswomen" of the county sanitiation department. I thought the tour was a little biased but I mean, if I worked for the county...The plan was drive to see the "tipping" area. But because of the weather we only got to drive to the top of the "ashfill" (more later). We saw no trucks tip their gar-bage out..but still eye opening to see everything.
We learned about the multiple protective layers the county lines the landfill with. We were told this particular county has the most strictest standards and go above and beyond what the EPA sets....as far as methane gas, contaminates leaching into the water table.
This landfill captures as much methane gas as possible and use it for energy. The tour guide made it seem like the more we throw away the more methane gas we get. True. BUT!
METHANE GAS IS STILL METHANE GAS. Shouldn't we be the awesome American citizens we are and reduce the need for energy and landfills and such?
Here is the real kicker: this particular landfill, at its current rate, will fill up in the year 2029. More land (acres!) has been purchased to extend the landfill. The question was asked, "once a landfill is capped, what's the area good for?" Not much. Golf course, maybe? Scary, eh?
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