Book 2, Question 146
Where Does Trash Go?
After you throw something away, where does it go? It does not vanish! Trash is collected, sorted, buried, burned, or remade. Less trash starts with using less.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- In 1999, the United States made about 230 million tons of trash, and about 57 percent went to landfills.
- Long ago, most trash was dumped in pits with no lining underneath.
- Rain seeping through buried trash makes a liquid called leachate, which can pollute groundwater.
- Litter on streets can wash into storm drains, then into rivers, and finally into the ocean.
- Trash on land can be blown, swept or washed out to sea, even if it was thrown away properly.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, NOAA, NASA
Questions kids ask
Is there trash in space?
Yes. Hundreds of millions of bits of space trash circle Earth at up to 36,000 km per hour. Most of it burns up when it falls back into the air.