Cumberland County Solid Waste Management offers:
- A drop-off Recycling Program.
- 16 collection sites for used oil and lead acid batteries.
- 1 collection site for antifreeze.
- A household hazardous waste collection center for hazardous materials from households ONLY.
- C & D recycling that includes clean wood, brick, concrete, asphalt, and reuse of dirt for cover.
- Mulching of yard waste, pallets, and clean wood.
- A telephone hotline and special events (tours of the landfill, e-waste events, etc.). .
Interesting Facts About Decomposition Times:
Note: Today landfills are lined with clay and plastic to keep waste from entering the soil and are covered daily to reduce odor. A landfill acts as a tomb, basically; when garbage has been disposed of and covered, the garbage receives very little air, water, or sunlight. So even readily degradable waste, i.e. banana peels, paper, food, newspaper, are more likely to mummify than decompose.
Different sources have different information on the decomposition time for waste brought to a landfill. The numbers do not vary much between the sources.
- Aluminum cans - 200 to 500 years
- Apple core – 2 months
- Banana peel – 2 to 5 weeks
- Boot sole – 50 to 80 years
- Cardboard – 2 months
- Cigarette filters – 2 to 5 years
- Cotton rag – 5 months
- Disposable diapers – 450 years
- Foam plastic cup – 50 years
- Glass - never
- Leather shoes – 25 to 40 years
- Monofilament fishing line – 600 years
- Newspaper – 6 weeks
- Paper bag – 1 month
- Paper towel – 2 to 4 weeks
- Plastic bag – 10 to 20 years
- Plastic beverage bottle - 450 years
- Plastic film container – 20-30 years
- Plastic 6-pack rings – 450 years
- Plywood – 1 to 3 years
- Rubber - never
- Styrofoam - 10 to 20 years
- Tin/steel cans - 100 years
- Tinfoil - never
- Wax paper cup - 5 years
- Waxed milk carton – 3 months
- Wooden stakes - 4 years
Statistics: http://environment.about.com/ U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FL