Question

How can we make landfills safer?

Answer 1

Avoid them as much as possible by diverting more material to recycling.

Explanation:

Landfill technologies have evolved to avoid hazards like leaching of groundwater by contaminates (the use of clay liners at the base) and capturing methane emissions (a powerful greenhouse gas) so that they are not vented to the atmosphere. However, not all countries have adopted these leading approaches, as they do increase costs.

Progressive jurisdictions are attempting to reduce the amount of material that goes to landfill sites, by finding and developing more recycling products that keep material out of a landfill. Here, the goal would be to eventually eliminate the need for a landfill all together.