Solution to Land Pollution – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Small Steps to Eliminate Land Pollution

Land pollution is a problem that governments and eco-friendly organizations have been trying to solve for the past several years. But finding a solution to this problem is not something that should be entrusted to just a few people. On the contrary, every person on Earth should contribute to the elimination of land pollution, even through small and simple ways.

Causes of Land Pollution

There are many possible causes of pollution. It can be something as small as throwing a candy wrapper on the side of the street, or something on a larger scale, like industrial wastes from multi-million dollar factories. Following are some of the most common causes that we should know about:

• Landfills

Did you ever stop to think what happens to the contents of your garbage cans after the collector takes it away? Most likely, it ends up in a landfill in your community or city. These landfills are basically huge holes in the ground that contain garbage. Once full, they are covered with soil and left to decompose. It sounds logical, but the decomposition process actually releases all sorts of chemicals into the soil, making landfills one of the largest causes of land pollution.

• Mining

Strip mining, in particular, causes a lot of damage to the soil. Because of our desire to mine various minerals from our lands, we are unknowingly causing our lands to become polluted.

• Agriculture – Not Organic Agriculture
  

Farming in itself does not cause land pollution. In fact, the constant tilling, planting and harvesting, not to mention the use of organic fertilizers, can enrich the soil further. Often artificial fertilizers are used, along with other harmful chemicals like pesticides, this is when the soil becomes contaminated with toxic substances.

Land Pollution Solution

Governments all over the world have already started enacting laws that aim to stop land pollution, such as the ban on strip mining and the enforcement o proper crop fertilization. As individuals, there are also several things we can do to help stop the land pollution problem.

• Reduce, reuse, recycle

These are words that we have already heard so many times but now is the time to really put them into action. First, we should reduce our production of waste by being practicing smart buying. Second, with a little bit of creativity, we can easily reuse many old items instead of automatically buying new ones. Finally, we should recycle everything that can be recycled. You can bring old newspapers to a paper recycling facility, or you can donate old clothes to the Salvation Army. A collective effort from the entire community can be very useful for such activities.

• Save energy

Turn off the lights when you don’t need them, and unplug electrical appliances that won’t be used for a while. You can also take public transport instead of using the car. Such practices will not only save you money but will save the planet’s fossil fuels as well.

• Practice organic gardening

Do not use any fertilizer or pesticides that contain harmful artificial chemicals. Also, have your own compost pit in the backyard to make your soil richer.

These steps may seem insignificant but if all of us start improving our ways, then the environment will surely benefit and land pollution will no longer be a problem.