Humans produce a significant amount of waste, and we are yet to find a perfect solution for its disposal. One idea that often comes up is the concept of throwing our garbage into volcanoes. However, as appealing as incinerating our trash into oblivion might sound, there are several reasons why this is not a viable solution.
Firstly, transporting all our trash to the nearest active volcano could be prohibitively expensive. Many locations are thousands of kilometers away from a volcano, while most cities only send their trash tens or hundreds of kilometers to landfills. Some cities also incinerate a lot of their trash in incineration plants and use the heat to generate electricity. Therefore, electric bills could potentially increase if we started using volcanoes instead.
However, even for cities near volcanoes, using them as large flaming trash piles is not a practical solution. Contrary to popular belief, volcanoes are not usually the bubbling pits of exposed lava that you see in movies and cartoons. Many volcanoes resemble mountains or hills with a crater near the top, and if the craters are filled with anything, it’s more likely to be liquid water than a lava lake. Therefore, to dispose of trash, you would have to wait for these kinds of volcanoes to erupt, which is incredibly dangerous due to the potential for violent eruptions.
Another option would be to drill down into a volcano’s magma chamber, where the molten rock sits under high pressure until eruption. However, given the unpredictability of what exactly will trigger a volcano’s eruption, drilling down into that super pressurized chamber or shooting trash into the magma are not advisable. Some volcanoes, like Kilauea in Hawaii, have pretty constant calm lava flows. But even though slow-moving lava might seem like a safer and easier way to get rid of garbage, there is another significant issue. Clumps of organic matter like food scraps don’t just burn when they hit lava, they explode.
While there is little research into why these explosions happen, there are plenty of experiments and YouTube videos that clearly demonstrate that they do. The most likely explanation is that any water in the trash immediately boils when it hits the thousand-degree molten lava. This steam expands, forcing the trash and lava out of the way to create an explosive fountain of molten rock. However, the exact reason is still unknown and requires further scientific investigation.
With the average American generating a couple of kilograms of trash a day, that would result in a lot of exploding lava. Furthermore, materials that probably wouldn’t explode, like plastic, tend to emit dangerous fumes when burned, which presents another significant problem. Therefore, even if you live near an active volcano and even if there’s lava at the surface, it’s not advisable to use it as your garbage disposal. While a controlled science experiment or two may be fine, tons of trash creating noxious lava fountains is not.
In conclusion, while the idea of disposing of our trash in volcanoes may seem appealing, it is neither practical nor safe. It’s important to continue exploring more sustainable and less harmful methods of waste disposal.
Divide into two groups and research the pros and cons of using volcanoes versus landfills for waste disposal. Present your arguments in a debate format. This will help you understand the complexities and challenges of waste management.
Conduct a safe classroom experiment using baking soda and vinegar to simulate the explosive reaction of trash hitting lava. Discuss why water in the trash causes explosions and relate it to the article’s explanation.
Calculate the cost of transporting trash to the nearest volcano versus the cost of current waste disposal methods in your city. Create a presentation to share your findings and discuss the economic implications.
Research and create a poster on the environmental impact of burning different types of waste, such as plastics, in volcanoes. Discuss the potential dangers of toxic fumes and compare them to the emissions from landfills and incineration plants.
Write a short story from the perspective of a volcano that suddenly becomes a trash disposal site. Include the volcano’s reactions to the trash, the explosions, and the environmental impact. Share your story with the class to highlight the impracticality and risks discussed in the article.
waste – unwanted or unusable materials, substances, or by-products – The factory produced a large amount of waste that needed to be properly disposed of.
solution – a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation – The team brainstormed different solutions to increase productivity in the workplace.
garbage – waste material or unwanted things that are thrown away – The garbage truck comes every week to collect our household waste.
volcanoes – openings in the Earth’s crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected – Mount Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world.
disposal – the act or process of getting rid of something – It is important to follow proper guidelines for the disposal of hazardous materials.
trash – discarded or worthless objects or materials – He cleaned out his closet and threw away all the old clothes that were just taking up space as trash.
incinerating – burning waste materials to reduce them to ashes – The city built a state-of-the-art incinerator to handle the disposal of medical waste.
viable – capable of working successfully; feasible – The company must come up with a viable plan to increase its market share.
practical – able to be put into practice or action; useful – It’s important to consider the practical implications before implementing a new system.
erupt – to burst or explode suddenly and violently – The volcano unexpectedly erupted, spewing ash and lava into the sky.
