Giant Landfill Fire

[Easy Bakes 253]

in South Dallas

Not much info in the story

Been burning since 6PM

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Stubborn-fire-at-Dallas-landfill-92063889.html

[Mountain Dew 0]

first thing I thought of was the Springfeild Tire Fire!

[Philadelphia 25]

Landfill/trash fires can be tricky to put out because of all of the different components that comprise of the trash...the trash can involve a few different classifications of fires...a few of those classifications which involve certain agents to extinguish them other than water. Which is why you have to be prepared to fight any classification that can be involved in a trash fire. (I am a firefighter...i know a lot about this kind of stuff.)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

A fire like that requires a hazmat team.  The number of things in a land fill ranges all the way from paper to dead batteries to soaps and other chemicals that can produce very bad vapours and gasses.

Landfills are stupid.  They should all be replaced by a proper recycling center with an attached incinerator.  Modern incinerators can process their stack wastes, and not pollute the air.  There is one in downtown Vienna, Austria and one in Mississaugua, Ontario.  Advertising by the Waste Management company indicates there are several more.

[hamsterTK 93]

I bet that's a real wonderful aroma, huh?

[Slashback 136]

Originally posted by: hamsterTK

I bet that's a real wonderful aroma, huh?

quote>

Yeah, i love the smell of fresh trash in the morning

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Landfills are stupid.  They should all be replaced by a proper recycling center with an attached incinerator.  Modern incinerators can process their stack wastes, and not pollute the air.  There is one in downtown Vienna, Austria and one in Mississaugua, Ontario.  Advertising by the Waste Management company indicates there are several more.quote>

First, the Mississaugua plant pumps out carbon dioxide as a byproduct of the burning process.  Second, you still can't get rid of landfills.  Mattresses, bikes, and couches all get pulled out of the trash and sent to landfills.  Fly ash has to be collected and stored in a secured landfill. Landfills are a necessary part of this process.

[Larks2242 251]

Originally posted by: hamsterTK

I bet that's a real wonderful aroma, huh?

quote>

Depends what is burning.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: hym

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Landfills are stupid.  They should all be replaced by a proper recycling center with an attached incinerator.  Modern incinerators can process their stack wastes, and not pollute the air.  There is one in downtown Vienna, Austria and one in Mississaugua, Ontario.  Advertising by the Waste Management company indicates there are several more.quote>

First, the Mississaugua plant pumps out carbon dioxide as a byproduct of the burning process.  Second, you still can't get rid of landfills.  Mattresses, bikes, and couches all get pulled out of the trash and sent to landfills.  Fly ash has to be collected and stored in a secured landfill. Landfills are a necessary part of this process.

quote>

And Mississaugua has lots of trees to absorb it, as well.  Metal objects like bicycles should be pulled out and sent to a metal recycler, ditto for the mattress springs (the rest should burn) and the same with couches.  A proper recycling incinerator with associated recycling operation is the way to go.  Landfills, no matter what they tell you, contaminate the ground water.

[Msprintz 25]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

A fire like that requires a hazmat team.  The number of things in a land fill ranges all the way from paper to dead batteries to soaps and other chemicals that can produce very bad vapours and gasses.

Landfills are stupid.  They should all be replaced by a proper recycling center with an attached incinerator.  Modern incinerators can process their stack wastes, and not pollute the air.  There is one in downtown Vienna, Austria and one in Mississaugua, Ontario.  Advertising by the Waste Management company indicates there are several more.

quote>

Not only that, but modern incinerators can provide cheap, clean, and reliable energy.  Thanks to technology, garbage inincerators are actually clean energy ( what a way to solve an energy crisis ).  Unfortunately only Europe is taking intiative in building these new modern facilities. 

Coupled with recycling programs it could really improve quality if life in many areas, where landfills are the preferred method of waste removal and storage. 

[-Lexus- 2]

Originally posted by: mks24

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

A fire like that requires a hazmat team.  The number of things in a land fill ranges all the way from paper to dead batteries to soaps and other chemicals that can produce very bad vapours and gasses.

Landfills are stupid.  They should all be replaced by a proper recycling center with an attached incinerator.  Modern incinerators can process their stack wastes, and not pollute the air.  There is one in downtown Vienna, Austria and one in Mississaugua, Ontario.  Advertising by the Waste Management company indicates there are several more.

quote>

Not only that, but modern incinerators can provide cheap, clean, and reliable energy.  Thanks to technology, garbage inincerators are actually clean energy ( what a way to solve an energy crisis ).  Unfortunately only Europe is taking intiative in building these new modern facilities. 

Coupled with recycling programs it could really improve quality if life in many areas, where landfills are the preferred method of waste removal and storage. 

quote>

It depends. Not every kind of trash can be burned properly or easily. Even with effective incinerators and good working recycling programs, there will always remain a need for landfills and storage facilities. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: -Lexus-

It depends. Not every kind of trash can be burned properly or easily. Even with effective incinerators and good working recycling programs, there will always remain a need for landfills and storage facilities. 

quote>

True and less than true.  Everything can be recycled given the will.  The most intractible problem is the will to store some items until a practical lot has accumulated.  Even incinerator ash can be incorporated into pavement.

[morriswalters 16]

Google on Centralia, Pennsylvania for an interesting landfill fire.

[Z77 3]

Originally posted by: morriswalters

Google on Centralia, Pennsylvania for an interesting landfill fire.

quote>

That, actually, is a coal fire. It was speculated that trash was being burned ontop of an open vein, but its not quite sure if its the actual cause. other than that, its been burning as a coal fire for decades

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: -Lexus-

It depends. Not every kind of trash can be burned properly or easily. Even with effective incinerators and good working recycling programs, there will always remain a need for landfills and storage facilities. quote>

True and less than true.  Everything can be recycled given the will.  The most intractible problem is the will to store some items until a practical lot has accumulated.  Even incinerator ash can be incorporated into pavement.quote>

Bear in mind, however, that in order for recycling to work there must be demand for the recylcled material - therein often lies the problem. For instance, a lot of the glass that you put in your recycling bin just ends up in a landfill, anyway... people's desire to recycle glass far outstrips manufacturers' desire to use it. It's far cheaper and easier (and requires less energy) to just use fresh glass made from sand. No option remains, then, but to throw the surplus cullet away.

Similarly, fly ash can be used as a pozzolanic material in concrete, yes, but there is more fly ash out there than concrete being poured to use it in. Even more so will be the case if you start incinerating more trash as opposed to just landfilling it directly.

On that note, though, here's the more important part with the incinerators: don't just waste that heat energy. Make electricity with it. The US could potentially generate as much as 5% of its power demand from burning its trash.

[hamsterTK 93]

Geez, your a trivia machine. I wish I majored in engineering, planning is so dull. That's fascinating. I knew the chemistry behind cement but didn't realize that the ash component was used in this way.

[bigthing 35]

I thaught that recycled glass was now a key step in the making of new glass, it reduces the temperatures needed.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: bigthing

I thaught that recycled glass was now a key step in the making of new glass, it reduces the temperatures needed.quote>

Yes, but unless other uses are found for it, there is too much.

The idea of generating electricity from waste heat in incinerators should be a part of the operation, if only to recharge electric car batteries.

Generally speaking, if we wanted to (aye, there's the rub) we could re-use everything we throw away.  The problem is finding the market for the (new) raw materials.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: bigthing

I thaught that recycled glass was now a key step in the making of new glass, it reduces the temperatures needed.quote>

Yes, but unless other uses are found for it, there is too much.

The idea of generating electricity from waste heat in incinerators should be a part of the operation, if only to recharge electric car batteries.

Generally speaking, if we wanted to (aye, there's the rub) we could re-use everything we throw away.  The problem is finding the market for the (new) raw materials.quote>

the shot themselves in the foot.

Most beverages used to come in glass bottles, Milk, soda,beer,Juice now its all in plastic except for most beers are still in glass and a few others. This has probably reduced significantly the amount of glass needed on a day to day basis.

heck even some windows are plastic now.

so if demand is down the amount of recycling will drop too.recycled paper may meet the same fate when the newspapers stop printing.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: bigthing

I thaught that recycled glass was now a key step in the making of new glass, it reduces the temperatures needed.quote>

Recycled glass is used for lowering the temperatures needed for making new glass, but the recycled glass is actually defective glass products that were pulled from the manufacturing line and sent back to the melting equipment to be reused with the raw materials.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

Recycled paper may meet the same fate when the newspapers stop printing.

quote>

The day that newspapers stop printing will be the day human civilization on the earth ends.  Electronic media and records are not archival, and if you don't believe me, try getting a CD or DVD soaking wet.

Newspapers are the record of our society and because they are printed in generous quantities may be our eternal archive.