Many people buy a lot of things they don’t need. Sometimes, they buy things they need, but those items become old and obsolete over time. These items take up space in the house until owners decide to clean up and eliminate the junk and clutter. For this type of decluttering, a Junk Removal Contractor in Dallas Texas | EZ Junk Removal is needed. But what happens to your junk after it has been removed from your property?
Junk items are destined for at least one of five places, depending on their content or material. Below are five places your junk items can end up.
- Landfills
- Recycling facilities
- Composting facilities
- Incinerators
- Donation centers
Landfills
Landfills are the commonest destination for junk items. These land areas are designed to collect most junk items. The commonest items that end up in landfills include;
1. Protective liners
These are materials used as liners to protect toxic or hazardous chemicals from seeping into the ground. Protective liners are mostly made from plastic and clay and protect against the contamination of groundwater and the environment.
2. Drainage Systems
Waste materials from homes and businesses often produce liquid as they decompose. Additionally, surface drainage caused by rain and other precipitations often washes hazardous chemicals into landfills. Landfills are designed to process both solid and liquid wastes. The liquid wastes are transferred into a collection tank, from where they undergo a series of treatment stages before ending up at a wastewater facility.
3. Gas or Energy Collection
Carbon dioxide and methane are common by-products of waste degradation. Modern landfills can trap these gasses and process them into renewable forms while reducing their environmental impact. The gases can be used as a biogas source for energy generation or can be processed into less harmful gases before they are released into the atmosphere.
4. Trash
Trash is another common class of items that end up in landfills. These items are often compacted to release air and to manage space better. The trash, once compacted, is buried underground to reduce air pollution as it undergoes degradation.
Recycling Facilities
If your junk material hasn’t ended up in a landfill, chances are high that some or all materials are recyclable. Recycling centers around the world accept certain materials which can be reprocessed into other things. For example, items like glass, plastics, cans, and paper can be recycled and repurposed for other uses. Recycling centers aim to reduce the amount of junk in landfills by reprocessing items for newer and better uses.
Composting Facilities
Compositing facilities deal mostly with solid wastes generated by businesses and households. This is where most organic wastes end up. Compositing facilities provide organic materials with the right resources to decompose. These resources include oxygen, soil, and water.
At the end of the decomposition phase, the organic material is turned into nutrient-rich soil, which can then be funneled back into the environment for agricultural purposes. Compositing facilities are mostly in charge of making the nutrient-rich soils sold in agricultural shops.
Some people can decompose their organic materials to make nutrient-rich soil by burying those organic materials and waiting for microorganisms to act on them.
Incinerators
Junk items that do not fall into any of the classes above will likely end up in an incinerator. Incinerators are perfect for waste or junk items that can be turned into ash. Incineration facilities have large furnaces that burn waste materials and items into ashes. The burning process can be used to generate electricity which is converted for productive use.
The ash generated from the burning process is then taken to the landfill. This method of waste disposal ensures that further resources are generated from the waste before they end up in the landfill.
Although incineration is great for energy production, it’s also met with some restrictions and concerns, especially by environmentalists. The by-product of incineration is considered toxic to humans and the environment.
Donation Centers
Some junk items end up in donation centers because they are still in great condition or have sustained minor and repairable damages. The idea behind this is to give more people a chance to extend the lifespan of items instead of pushing them into landfills. Items that mostly end up in donation centers include furniture, repairable electronic appliances, gadgets, etc.
You can start by contacting donation centers to know if they are interested in your junk items before pushing them out. However, you should call a junk removal company if you’re unable to handle the back-and-forth required by the process.