While Earth Day isn’t until April 22, it’s never too early to start thinking about ways to observe this annual holiday. Earth Day celebrates the planet and the dawn of the modern environmental movement that began in 1970.
Efforts to draw attention to environmental issues affecting the planet have always been important. But the significance of such efforts grows each year, as climate experts and environmental researchers continue to warn that something must be done to change behaviors that could be adversely affecting the planet.
One area that might require change concerns trash. According to EarthDay.org, two billion metric tons of unsustainable, municipally generated trash are thrown away across the globe every year. That trash subsequently enters the environment and affects the climate and the health of animals and humans. And some research suggests that the effects of trash on the environment might be underestimated.
A 2024 study from researchers at Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences noted that estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicating methane emissions from landfills have been greatly underestimated. Researchers behind the Harvard study found that methane emissions from landfills are 51 percent higher than EPA estimates suggest. That’s a notable miscalculation, as methane emissions are a significant contributor to climate change. In fact, EarthDay.org notes that methane has a warming potential more than 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. The warming potential of methane underscores the need to incorporate waste management practices that may help reduce methane emissions into any strategies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Trash also can have a harmful effect on wildlife. Trash can get into natural settings, including waterways, where it has an adverse effect on marine species. EarthDay.org notes that plastic or solid waste gradually degrades into smaller pieces, making it difficult for wildlife, including marine species, to distinguish between what is food they can eat and what is plastic that they should avoid. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, as much as 23 million tons of plastic enters aquatic environments each year.
Trash also can have an adverse effect on human health. Thousands of chemicals are utilized to manufacture products that ultimately end up in landfills each year, and EarthDay.org notes that landfills provide a pathway for those chemicals to enter the environment. Some of those chemicals are endocrine-disrupting and/or carcinogenic, and exposure to them may increase a person’s risk for health issues including infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.
Trash is a part of daily life. Recognition of the harmful environmental impact trash can have is vital as the world looks to alter behaviors that could be jeopardizing the health of the planet and the species on it.
