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Article: "Just add water" to get rid of trash faster. (Waste Management).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- June 1, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Trash in a municipal landfill could decompose nearly 10 to 20 times faster than it normally does through a system that keeps the trash continually wet. Landfills are normally dry environments, and the lack of adequate moisture doesn't allow biodegradable trash to decompose as quickly as it should, according to researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus.
In fact, keeping a landfill saturated means it could stabilize in five to 10 years, instead of taking the average 100 years or longer to do so, indicates Ann Christy, assistant professor of food, agricultural, and biological engineering. In a stabilized landfill, the majority of trash already has decomposed. ...