Have you been considering a family dental insurance plan? If so, then you need to read the following article. We've done a direct comparison between dental insurance plans and dental discount plans and the results between the two, good and bad, are below. This should allow you to make an informed decision before you make a purchase. Read on.
We'll begin with family dental insurance. Dental insurance is still a decent deal if you can get it through a group plan, possibly through your employer. Most companies that offer dental coverage get a very reasonable group rate and pass it on to the employees at price that they can usually afford, although they normally have to pay additional for their entire family to be covered. Most family dental plans will cost as much as $100.00 per month if purchased privately.
Normally, dental insurance plans won't cover pre-existing conditions. This means that if you or one of your family members has a cavity, that is obviously not new, then you would most likely have to pay for that filling procedure out of your own pocket. You will normally have a waiting period for a minimum of six months and as long as two years before the plan really "kicks in" and provides adequate coverage for yourself and your family. Most dental insurance will cover a good portion of your regular check ups though. This is preventive coverage and it makes sense for them to pay for a small amount now to make certain that everything is alright, rather than letting a problem go and paying a much larger amount later.
Dental discount plans are exactly that, a discount plan. They first became popular a little over ten tears ago and, for some individuals and families, have been a godsend because they are unable to to afford traditional dental insurance premiums, especially when they would have such a long waiting period before they could have their pre-existing condition repaired.
This is how a dental discount plan works. You pay a small fee, either monthly or annually, to have either yourself or your entire family covered by the plan. After joining you'll be sent paperwork with all of the discounted rates that you will have to pay for each procedure performed and also a list of all participating dentists in their network that practice in your area.
The way that this works is you simply set up an appointment with the dentist and then pay them the discounted fee after the procedure has been performed. That's it. They get paid their discounted rate cash on the barrel head and you get a substantial savings on your dental work by simply becoming a member of the discount dental plan and by paying cash at the time of your visit. Pre-existing conditions are fine, there are no age limits or exclusions and there is no billing done.
The choice is really up to you. Do you believe that family dental insurance is your best option or would a dental discount plan be your best option? Good luck!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Family Fun with Saltwater Fishing
Planning a family vacation or some unique
activities to do together with your family? Why
not try saltwater fishing!
Saltwater fishing is an activity that everyone,
no matter what your age, can enjoy. Many
generations can grow closer by fishing together,
and this is also a great activity to use to teach
children about things like conservation, water
safety, and habitats.
To do saltwater fishing, you would need to
charter a boat if you don't own one. There are
many companies that provide fishing trips come
complete with rods and tackles so you don't have
to worry about getting all the fishing equipment
yourself.
However, if you do wish to buy one, do a little
research on the interest or from books on what
kind of tackles are required for the kind of fish
you plan to catch. Check also with the fishing
charter companies on areas where they are taking
you to and what kind of fishes you can expect to
catch so you can get the right equipment.
Many of these fishing boats also include cabins,
so non-fishermen can enjoy a beautiful day at sea.
Take along a picnic basket and bring your
favourite drinks and snacks along.
In case of sea sickness, it is a good idea to get
some moment sickness pills along. Consult you
doctor for moment sickness pills or patches that
are suitable for children.
During the fishing session, teach your children
about basic water safety. Make sure everyone
wears a life jacket. It is also important to wear
a whistles in case someone falls overboard.
Other important safety include being careful when
dealing with hooks and fishing equipment.
Teach your children the importance of protecting
the environment. Don't catch fish just for fun,
but rather enjoy a fish meal together after the
trip or give to someone else if you have too many
fishes. Make sure also you teach your kids about
proper handling of garbage. To take them back to
shore for disposal rather than throw into the
water.
After the trip, go home for a celebration feast.
It is the entire process doing things together
and celebrating the labour together that really
foster unity and bond a family. Your kids will
remember those experiences for many years to come.
activities to do together with your family? Why
not try saltwater fishing!
Saltwater fishing is an activity that everyone,
no matter what your age, can enjoy. Many
generations can grow closer by fishing together,
and this is also a great activity to use to teach
children about things like conservation, water
safety, and habitats.
To do saltwater fishing, you would need to
charter a boat if you don't own one. There are
many companies that provide fishing trips come
complete with rods and tackles so you don't have
to worry about getting all the fishing equipment
yourself.
However, if you do wish to buy one, do a little
research on the interest or from books on what
kind of tackles are required for the kind of fish
you plan to catch. Check also with the fishing
charter companies on areas where they are taking
you to and what kind of fishes you can expect to
catch so you can get the right equipment.
Many of these fishing boats also include cabins,
so non-fishermen can enjoy a beautiful day at sea.
Take along a picnic basket and bring your
favourite drinks and snacks along.
In case of sea sickness, it is a good idea to get
some moment sickness pills along. Consult you
doctor for moment sickness pills or patches that
are suitable for children.
During the fishing session, teach your children
about basic water safety. Make sure everyone
wears a life jacket. It is also important to wear
a whistles in case someone falls overboard.
Other important safety include being careful when
dealing with hooks and fishing equipment.
Teach your children the importance of protecting
the environment. Don't catch fish just for fun,
but rather enjoy a fish meal together after the
trip or give to someone else if you have too many
fishes. Make sure also you teach your kids about
proper handling of garbage. To take them back to
shore for disposal rather than throw into the
water.
After the trip, go home for a celebration feast.
It is the entire process doing things together
and celebrating the labour together that really
foster unity and bond a family. Your kids will
remember those experiences for many years to come.
15 Funny Quotes To Celebrate Joke Day
If laughter is the best medicine, then funny quotes are my prescription of choice. After all, who couldn't use a good laugh or two? Help spread the Joke Day celebration and share these 15 funny quotes with a few good friends.
1. "Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac." ~ George Carlin
2. "Electricity can be dangerous. My nephew tried to stick a penny into a plug. Whoever said a penny doesn't go far didn't see him shoot across that floor. I told him he was grounded." ~ Tim Allen
3. "I drive a V10 Ford Excursion and I have to tell folks all the time: look I've got five kids and a dog and birds. I would have to have two Lincolns with two V8s, you see, so it would be 16 cylinders." ~ Dan Aykroyd
4. "Swimming is not a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning. That's just common sense!" ~ George Carlin
5. "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." ~ Jim Carrey
6. "Have you ever been in therapy? No? You should try it. It's like a really easy game show where the correct answer to every question is: 'Because of my mother.'" ~ Robin Greenspan
7. "Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue." ~ Scott Adams
8. "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, "My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!" ~ Dave Barry
9. "Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." ~ PJ O'Rourke
10. "Insanity is hereditary: You can get it from your children." ~ Sam Levinson.
11. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor's cute then forget the fruit!" ~ Bumper sticker quote
12. The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
13. "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." ~ Mark Twain
14. "The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." ~ Rita Mae Brown
15. "USA Today has come out with a new survey: Apparently three out of four people make up 75 percent of the population." ~ David Letterman
As Carlos Mencia says... "If you ain't laughing, you ain't living." This month, why not take life a little less seriously and laugh a little more. At the very least, share these funny quotes on Joke Day and crack a few grins with your friends.
1. "Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac." ~ George Carlin
2. "Electricity can be dangerous. My nephew tried to stick a penny into a plug. Whoever said a penny doesn't go far didn't see him shoot across that floor. I told him he was grounded." ~ Tim Allen
3. "I drive a V10 Ford Excursion and I have to tell folks all the time: look I've got five kids and a dog and birds. I would have to have two Lincolns with two V8s, you see, so it would be 16 cylinders." ~ Dan Aykroyd
4. "Swimming is not a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning. That's just common sense!" ~ George Carlin
5. "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." ~ Jim Carrey
6. "Have you ever been in therapy? No? You should try it. It's like a really easy game show where the correct answer to every question is: 'Because of my mother.'" ~ Robin Greenspan
7. "Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue." ~ Scott Adams
8. "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, "My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!" ~ Dave Barry
9. "Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." ~ PJ O'Rourke
10. "Insanity is hereditary: You can get it from your children." ~ Sam Levinson.
11. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor's cute then forget the fruit!" ~ Bumper sticker quote
12. The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
13. "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." ~ Mark Twain
14. "The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." ~ Rita Mae Brown
15. "USA Today has come out with a new survey: Apparently three out of four people make up 75 percent of the population." ~ David Letterman
As Carlos Mencia says... "If you ain't laughing, you ain't living." This month, why not take life a little less seriously and laugh a little more. At the very least, share these funny quotes on Joke Day and crack a few grins with your friends.
Lingerie fabric care
We generally forget how important it is to take care of our lingerie, although we all take considerable care of ensuring that specialist items of clothing such wool, cashmere are washed correctly!! Looking after you bras/lingerie will ensure that they last longer and feel as good as the day you first bought them. Here are a few tips to keep your lingerie in tiptop condition:-
- the care/washing labels attached to your lingerie must ALWAYS be followed;
- hand wash your bras;
- always use mild detergent;
- fabrices such as lace, embrodiery, binding and elastic can be damaged by hot water so use cool water;
- dry flat;
- keep away from direct heat such as radiators and tumble dryers for fear of damaging the wires;
- if you need to wash your lingerie in the washing machine, we would advise you place all garments in a suitable coloured lingerie bag - NEVER tumble dry your lingerie.
If you do not follow this simple guide then these delicate items will suffer!! The fabric can shrink; the wires can be pushed through the fabric and become misshaped and.
It is imperative to use cool water as this will help keep the garments colour and will prevent white fabrics from going grey.
Considerable damage could be done to your washing machine if the wires come out of the garment completely, which can be costly to fix - both your damaged washing machine and your lingerie.
If you follow this care guide, your lingerie will stay silky soft and as gorgeous as the day you purchased it.
There are many different fabrics that make up a bra and each fabric needs its own tender loving care. Here is a short guide to the different types of fabrics used in lingerie (not an exhaustive list by any means):-
Chiffon – lightweight, sheer material usually made from silk.
Cotton – natural fibre and soft to touch.
Elastane – synthetic fabric with high elasticity.
Embroidery – adds texture and colour to garments - hand or machine embellishment.
Jacquard – design woven onto it in a different colour or texture.
Linen - Very cool and absorbent but can crease easily.
Microfibre - water repellent, breathable and washable synthetic fibre.
Nylon - this hard wearing fabric was the first ever completely synthetic fibre produced.
Polyester - a popular fabric used for lingerie as it is strong, stretchy and extremely resilient.
Sheer - fine and transparent - very thin fabric.
Tulle - a fine net of viscose, nylon or silk.
- the care/washing labels attached to your lingerie must ALWAYS be followed;
- hand wash your bras;
- always use mild detergent;
- fabrices such as lace, embrodiery, binding and elastic can be damaged by hot water so use cool water;
- dry flat;
- keep away from direct heat such as radiators and tumble dryers for fear of damaging the wires;
- if you need to wash your lingerie in the washing machine, we would advise you place all garments in a suitable coloured lingerie bag - NEVER tumble dry your lingerie.
If you do not follow this simple guide then these delicate items will suffer!! The fabric can shrink; the wires can be pushed through the fabric and become misshaped and.
It is imperative to use cool water as this will help keep the garments colour and will prevent white fabrics from going grey.
Considerable damage could be done to your washing machine if the wires come out of the garment completely, which can be costly to fix - both your damaged washing machine and your lingerie.
If you follow this care guide, your lingerie will stay silky soft and as gorgeous as the day you purchased it.
There are many different fabrics that make up a bra and each fabric needs its own tender loving care. Here is a short guide to the different types of fabrics used in lingerie (not an exhaustive list by any means):-
Chiffon – lightweight, sheer material usually made from silk.
Cotton – natural fibre and soft to touch.
Elastane – synthetic fabric with high elasticity.
Embroidery – adds texture and colour to garments - hand or machine embellishment.
Jacquard – design woven onto it in a different colour or texture.
Linen - Very cool and absorbent but can crease easily.
Microfibre - water repellent, breathable and washable synthetic fibre.
Nylon - this hard wearing fabric was the first ever completely synthetic fibre produced.
Polyester - a popular fabric used for lingerie as it is strong, stretchy and extremely resilient.
Sheer - fine and transparent - very thin fabric.
Tulle - a fine net of viscose, nylon or silk.
Bed Bug Prevention: Cover Your Bed
A resurgence of Cimex lectularius, better known as the common bed bug , has turned playful bedtime sendoffs into truly fearful warnings. This resurrection can largely be attributed to the halt in using the pesticide DDT that nearly eradicated bed bugs in the United States in the 1950s, leaving little to no defense against the uprising miniscule offenders today. Adding to this effect is the fact that bed bugs are nocturnal in nature, preying on sleeping people across the world. They feed on human blood, leaving only a trail of red itchy welts or localized swellings on the skin as calling cards of their appearances.
While red marks may be an indication of an infestation, they are definitely not a confirmation. Finding these critters is no easy task, as they are approximately 4-5 mm in length with a flattened form, allowing them to hide in crevices and creases with ease. While often found hiding all over the house, their favorite spot to conceal themselves–in the event that a mattress cover or pillow cover are not being used–is in or around the bed, hence their name. Being so close to their primary food source gives them the opportunity to feed every 5-10 days, though they are able to live up to 18 months without eating. .
A bed bug will dine on human blood for approximately 5-15 minutes before it will be fully engorged, more than tripling its size. This change has been known to cause misidentification as it becomes round in shape, different from its naturally flat shape. Additionally, when it is an adult it becomes brown in color, except after feeding when it takes on a dark red hue due to the intake of human blood.
Because of their miniscule size and innate ability to hide, bed bugs can enter the home in a multitude of ways, including any type of object that can be transferred from one home, apartment, condo, hotels, etc., to another. This transferability, coupled with their hyperactive reproduction, allows their wrath to be widespread very quickly, especially in homes that are older or have many cracks and crevices, messy cluttered homes, and homes where mattresses or pillows are not covered with some sort of allergen-reducing encasements. To get a feel of their ability to infest an entire house, here are some reproduction facts:
• Females lay eggs in clusters of 10-50 in just one day
• The eggs are whitish in color, pear shaped and approximately 1 mm in length
• A female will lay up 500 eggs during her lifetime
• Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks time
• In one year’s time, three generations of can be produced
• Newly hatched nymphs—as they are called–begin to feed on human blood immediately
• Nymphs are colorless and the size of a pinhead
• A nymph will go through five molting stages before becoming a full adult, feeding during each stage
Though these wingless vampires have been known to be brimming with pathogens—hepatitis B and plague included—they have not been shown to be a transmitter of disease. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not thought of as being a medical threat, making them more of an annoyance then anything else.
Some people try to live with bed bugs in their lives, though they often are covered with welts and scars from scratching all over their bodies. No distance is great enough to be protected once they have entered your home. They have been known to travel over 100 feet on their own to feed, making merely disinfesting your bed and using mattress and pillow covers a futile act.
In order to be fully rid of these pests, a home needs to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that every crease, crevice, floorboard, outlet and corner has been cleaned and rid of them and their eggs. Furthermore, every hole and crack should be filled and caulked, leaving little to no room for already existing eggs to penetrate the home. Once your house is rid of infestation, you should use a complete, zippered mattress encasement, a complete zippered pillow encasement, and a zippered encasement for your box spring. This traps any existing critters inside, essentially permanently removing them from their food source, and disallowing new bugs from hiding in their beloved hotbeds.
While red marks may be an indication of an infestation, they are definitely not a confirmation. Finding these critters is no easy task, as they are approximately 4-5 mm in length with a flattened form, allowing them to hide in crevices and creases with ease. While often found hiding all over the house, their favorite spot to conceal themselves–in the event that a mattress cover or pillow cover are not being used–is in or around the bed, hence their name. Being so close to their primary food source gives them the opportunity to feed every 5-10 days, though they are able to live up to 18 months without eating. .
A bed bug will dine on human blood for approximately 5-15 minutes before it will be fully engorged, more than tripling its size. This change has been known to cause misidentification as it becomes round in shape, different from its naturally flat shape. Additionally, when it is an adult it becomes brown in color, except after feeding when it takes on a dark red hue due to the intake of human blood.
Because of their miniscule size and innate ability to hide, bed bugs can enter the home in a multitude of ways, including any type of object that can be transferred from one home, apartment, condo, hotels, etc., to another. This transferability, coupled with their hyperactive reproduction, allows their wrath to be widespread very quickly, especially in homes that are older or have many cracks and crevices, messy cluttered homes, and homes where mattresses or pillows are not covered with some sort of allergen-reducing encasements. To get a feel of their ability to infest an entire house, here are some reproduction facts:
• Females lay eggs in clusters of 10-50 in just one day
• The eggs are whitish in color, pear shaped and approximately 1 mm in length
• A female will lay up 500 eggs during her lifetime
• Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks time
• In one year’s time, three generations of can be produced
• Newly hatched nymphs—as they are called–begin to feed on human blood immediately
• Nymphs are colorless and the size of a pinhead
• A nymph will go through five molting stages before becoming a full adult, feeding during each stage
Though these wingless vampires have been known to be brimming with pathogens—hepatitis B and plague included—they have not been shown to be a transmitter of disease. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not thought of as being a medical threat, making them more of an annoyance then anything else.
Some people try to live with bed bugs in their lives, though they often are covered with welts and scars from scratching all over their bodies. No distance is great enough to be protected once they have entered your home. They have been known to travel over 100 feet on their own to feed, making merely disinfesting your bed and using mattress and pillow covers a futile act.
In order to be fully rid of these pests, a home needs to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that every crease, crevice, floorboard, outlet and corner has been cleaned and rid of them and their eggs. Furthermore, every hole and crack should be filled and caulked, leaving little to no room for already existing eggs to penetrate the home. Once your house is rid of infestation, you should use a complete, zippered mattress encasement, a complete zippered pillow encasement, and a zippered encasement for your box spring. This traps any existing critters inside, essentially permanently removing them from their food source, and disallowing new bugs from hiding in their beloved hotbeds.
Make bathing a pleasure
Bathroom maintenance is an integral part of good housekeeping. For some, bathrooms signify privacy and intimacy. Bathrooms are often decorated with a wide range of accessories. The objective is the same -- generate a feeling that bathroom is no different from the rest of the house.
Choosing bathroom accessories may be a difficult task for amateur housekeepers or families that have moved into houses independently for the first time. It is a difficult task since the bathroom might be crowded with a huge number of accessories, eventually reducing the space for the users. So make sure that the bathroom is not cluttered with accessories.
It is recommended that every household employ the services of a professional house decorator to decide what constitutes bathroom accessories. Professional house decorators can also assist in buying accessories. However, if that is not a choice, then purchasing bathroom accessories can be made busy by employing research work.
Most of the stores selling bathroom accessories are registered on the Internet. It is easy to visit any of these sites and check out the accessories. Most of the stores transact business through e-commerce. Create a personal account on the website for easy transaction. Most stores offer this facility of creating accounts on their websites.
Once you are convinced with the product, book it online. The stores will home deliver the product. Payment can be made online using a credit card.
It is always good to do a thorough examination of the products before deciding to purchase them. First decide, whether you really need a particular product. Evaluate its use and then purchase.
Some of the most common bathroom accessories at every home are: Shower curtains, clothe hangars, mats, waste baskets, toilet brushes, levers, shelves, holders, towel ring, shower accessories, bath tub accessories and mirrors. Ensure that there is adequate space in the bathroom for all these accessories.
If the house owner intends to go ahead and create an ambience of great quality in the bathroom, there are many options. However, there should be adequate space to create such an ambience in the bathroom.
The bathroom can be decked up with fashionable and ornamental lighting. Window furnishings and door textiles can be of high quality and colored in various combinations. Uninterrupted fragrance can be flowed in the bathroom using special dispensers. Bathroom can also have indoor ornamental plants.
Bathtubs come in various shapes and color these days. The bathtubs can have flashy and trendy external fittings like taps and shower tubes.
Choosing bathroom accessories may be a difficult task for amateur housekeepers or families that have moved into houses independently for the first time. It is a difficult task since the bathroom might be crowded with a huge number of accessories, eventually reducing the space for the users. So make sure that the bathroom is not cluttered with accessories.
It is recommended that every household employ the services of a professional house decorator to decide what constitutes bathroom accessories. Professional house decorators can also assist in buying accessories. However, if that is not a choice, then purchasing bathroom accessories can be made busy by employing research work.
Most of the stores selling bathroom accessories are registered on the Internet. It is easy to visit any of these sites and check out the accessories. Most of the stores transact business through e-commerce. Create a personal account on the website for easy transaction. Most stores offer this facility of creating accounts on their websites.
Once you are convinced with the product, book it online. The stores will home deliver the product. Payment can be made online using a credit card.
It is always good to do a thorough examination of the products before deciding to purchase them. First decide, whether you really need a particular product. Evaluate its use and then purchase.
Some of the most common bathroom accessories at every home are: Shower curtains, clothe hangars, mats, waste baskets, toilet brushes, levers, shelves, holders, towel ring, shower accessories, bath tub accessories and mirrors. Ensure that there is adequate space in the bathroom for all these accessories.
If the house owner intends to go ahead and create an ambience of great quality in the bathroom, there are many options. However, there should be adequate space to create such an ambience in the bathroom.
The bathroom can be decked up with fashionable and ornamental lighting. Window furnishings and door textiles can be of high quality and colored in various combinations. Uninterrupted fragrance can be flowed in the bathroom using special dispensers. Bathroom can also have indoor ornamental plants.
Bathtubs come in various shapes and color these days. The bathtubs can have flashy and trendy external fittings like taps and shower tubes.
Recycling and Landfill
Production of waste is a global problem that won't just go away on its own so we constantly have to find convenient and suitable ways of disposing of it. Every area of our lives involves getting rid of something, whether it is household rubbish, plastic, paper, metal, commercial waste or anything else for that matter that we simply don't want or need and wish to discard.
Unfortunately today, most of our waste tends to end up in landfill sites, which is far from ideal. Landfill has an immediate advantage in that it is convenient, however, there are other more serious issues regarding landfill which are not so advantageous to human or animal health or for the environment despite the protection agencies, legislation and monitoring that is in place.
The introduction and steadily rising cost of The Landfill Tax is designed to reduce the amount of waste deposited in landfill by encouraging waste producers to produce less waste and to reuse or recycle mixed waste rather than to dump it. Landfill sites are heavily regulated and monitored by environmental agencies in an attempt to minimise the risk to health and the environment.
What is landfill?
Simply put, landfills are sites, sometimes old quarry sites, where waste is deposited into the ground in order to rot. As each new load of rubbish arrives for disposal, it is pushed down and compacted into the site and then covered with a layer of soil. In order to prevent leakage of toxic material into the surrounding earth and water, the landfill must first be lined in order to seal in the waste.
Once a landfill site has been filled to capacity, it has to be capped or covered and a new site must be found. Usual ways of covering are with a layer of plastic, more soil, a protective covering, sand, more soil and then something like grass. This helps keeps rodents away and minimises the risk of waste gases and other toxins being released into the surrounding land and waterways.
Problems with Landfill
Currently around 80% of our household rubbish ends up in landfill sites and as the amount of rubbish continues year after year, a major problem is that basically, we are running out of space. It isn't easy to find a new site for landfill either as no one wants to have it in their "back yard" so to speak. Apart from the risk of explosion, landfill sites also give off unpleasant odours and gases and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can have a negative impact on health even at low doses.
Greenhouse Gases
As the rubbish rots in a landfill site, Methane gas is given off and as Methane is a greenhouse gas, this is a major cause for concern. The liner in the landfill site helps to prevent the gas escaping. What often happens is that pipes collect the Methane and carry it to the surface where it can be burned off (a process known as Flaring) or it can be extracted and used as fuel elsewhere.
Leachate
Leachate is produced in landfill sites from water and liquid draining from the rotting rubbish and again, the liner helps prevent this substance from contaminating the surrounding land and water systems. Pipes will usually collect Leachate and pump it to the surface where it may be re-circulated but if a lot of Leachate is produced it will often be sent to wastewater treatment plants.
Time
Another major problem with landfill is that some non-biodegradable substances such as plastic bags for example, can take maybe hundreds of years to break down. There is no light or oxygen in landfill so rubbish cannot be broken down very quickly.
Health Risks
Despite all the measures in place, several studies have highlighted health risks in relation to landfill sites and the full impact on human, animal and environmental health is still not clear and is being widely debated.
Recycling – a solution
A large proportion of the rubbish ending up in landfill sites is not really rubbish at all as most of it could serve other more useful purposes with a far less damaging effect or could be recycled to produce new products. So, by far the best way to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill and reduce the impact on health and the environment, is to reuse or recycle as much waste as possible.
Currently, only around 7 or 8 per cent of household waste is recycled but if more people were aware of the risks associated with landfill they might be prepared to make more effort to sort and either reuse their waste or recycle it at one of the growing number of recycling depots. One mans trash is another mans treasure as they say so waste not want not.
Unfortunately today, most of our waste tends to end up in landfill sites, which is far from ideal. Landfill has an immediate advantage in that it is convenient, however, there are other more serious issues regarding landfill which are not so advantageous to human or animal health or for the environment despite the protection agencies, legislation and monitoring that is in place.
The introduction and steadily rising cost of The Landfill Tax is designed to reduce the amount of waste deposited in landfill by encouraging waste producers to produce less waste and to reuse or recycle mixed waste rather than to dump it. Landfill sites are heavily regulated and monitored by environmental agencies in an attempt to minimise the risk to health and the environment.
What is landfill?
Simply put, landfills are sites, sometimes old quarry sites, where waste is deposited into the ground in order to rot. As each new load of rubbish arrives for disposal, it is pushed down and compacted into the site and then covered with a layer of soil. In order to prevent leakage of toxic material into the surrounding earth and water, the landfill must first be lined in order to seal in the waste.
Once a landfill site has been filled to capacity, it has to be capped or covered and a new site must be found. Usual ways of covering are with a layer of plastic, more soil, a protective covering, sand, more soil and then something like grass. This helps keeps rodents away and minimises the risk of waste gases and other toxins being released into the surrounding land and waterways.
Problems with Landfill
Currently around 80% of our household rubbish ends up in landfill sites and as the amount of rubbish continues year after year, a major problem is that basically, we are running out of space. It isn't easy to find a new site for landfill either as no one wants to have it in their "back yard" so to speak. Apart from the risk of explosion, landfill sites also give off unpleasant odours and gases and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can have a negative impact on health even at low doses.
Greenhouse Gases
As the rubbish rots in a landfill site, Methane gas is given off and as Methane is a greenhouse gas, this is a major cause for concern. The liner in the landfill site helps to prevent the gas escaping. What often happens is that pipes collect the Methane and carry it to the surface where it can be burned off (a process known as Flaring) or it can be extracted and used as fuel elsewhere.
Leachate
Leachate is produced in landfill sites from water and liquid draining from the rotting rubbish and again, the liner helps prevent this substance from contaminating the surrounding land and water systems. Pipes will usually collect Leachate and pump it to the surface where it may be re-circulated but if a lot of Leachate is produced it will often be sent to wastewater treatment plants.
Time
Another major problem with landfill is that some non-biodegradable substances such as plastic bags for example, can take maybe hundreds of years to break down. There is no light or oxygen in landfill so rubbish cannot be broken down very quickly.
Health Risks
Despite all the measures in place, several studies have highlighted health risks in relation to landfill sites and the full impact on human, animal and environmental health is still not clear and is being widely debated.
Recycling – a solution
A large proportion of the rubbish ending up in landfill sites is not really rubbish at all as most of it could serve other more useful purposes with a far less damaging effect or could be recycled to produce new products. So, by far the best way to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill and reduce the impact on health and the environment, is to reuse or recycle as much waste as possible.
Currently, only around 7 or 8 per cent of household waste is recycled but if more people were aware of the risks associated with landfill they might be prepared to make more effort to sort and either reuse their waste or recycle it at one of the growing number of recycling depots. One mans trash is another mans treasure as they say so waste not want not.
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