Introduction
The Mother of All Landfills. Sun sets over Fresh Kills Landfill in New York City—the largest landfill in the world. The landfill closed in 2001, with debris from the World Trade Center being the final material sent to the site. The landfill is the highest point in the New York City area (City of New York).
Where is away? Is it a far off land full of fairy tales, hobbits, and trees that grow lollipops? Is it a tropical paradise full of tiki bars, remote waterfalls, and crystal blue water? When you “throw something away”—where is away? Where do you want away to be—since you throw so many things at away? Thanks to you, away is a place filled with trash bags, pests, pollutants, and stench. And for some people, away is not very far away—and sometimes located in their neighborhood.
In Indianapolis, the Land of Away is located on Kentucky Avenue and at the corner of Raymond Street and Harding Street. In surrounding counties, away is also located here, but there are other regional landfills as well. In this lecture we will visit the great wizards who make your trash magically disappear, then visit the magical land of away, and discuss how you can send less stuff to away through the wonder of recycling.
Since this lecture amounts to nothing but trash talking, I wanted to throw in my potty mouth to discuss how sewage treatment works. Since sewage and waste water are part of your waste disposal, this lecture will give you an all around picture of all the waste YOU create, and how we as a society handle this waste.