10.

06 Solid Waste

Colin Duffy and Phillip Ahn

This lab explores decomposition in a landfill.

D u f f y , A h n - M r s . A s h l e y M c E l l i g o t t 3 / 7 / 1 4

Summer

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Objective ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Variables ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Materials ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Procedures ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Data ................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Paper ........................................................................................................................................................ 11
Plastic ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Reflection .................................................................................................................................................... 14
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................ 16

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Objective

The purpose of this lab is to observe how materials degrade in a landfill over
time. The lab will gather data on how different fruits and vegetables degrade over
time and assess the possible causes of degradation.

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Introduction

Landfills are one of the waste disposal methods in the United States.
Americans dispose of nearly 251 million tons of trash annually, or 4.38 pounds per
person per day (EPA). Properly designed landfills are made to keep contaminants
and other hazardous materials safely contained so that they do not damage the
environment and cause unnecessary harm.
The largest kind of waste is paper based followed closely by food waste, yard
trimmings, and plastics. The Environmental protection agency breaks down the
waste as follows:

Figure 1 (EPA)

The concepts being examined include decomposition and sustainability over

a period of time. The includes the environmental impact of decomposing materials.
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Hypothesis
We hypothesize that plastic will take longer the plastic to decompose.

Polyethylene bags, which is what the public plastic is made of, dont biodegrade.
They do; however, photodegrade (Lapidos). As a result of the plastic being covered
by the dirt it is unable to break down, unlike the paper, which is biodegradable.

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Variables

Independent Variable: Material Buried

Dependent Variable: Level of decomposition

Constant: Location, size, and depth of burial.

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1.
2.
3.
4.

Materials

Six squares of single ply toilet paper measuring 10 x 9 cm

Six 10 x 9 cm plastic sheets make from a public plastic grocery bag
One shovel
Two plastic containers with a width of at least one foot and a length of at
least one and a half feet. At least two inches deep.
5. Potting soil

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Procedures

1. Set aside sheets of toilet paper in a dry location at room temperature

2. Set aside three squares of plastic bag aside in the same location as the toilet
paper
3. Take the two plastic containers and cover the bottom in an even layer of soil
about one cm deep (figure 2)

Figure 2

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4. Place the paper spaced evenly apart across the length of the container (figure
3)

Figure 3

5. Do the same with the plastic squares in the second container (figure 4)

Figure 4

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6. Cover both container with and additional one cm of soil (figure 5)

Figure 5

7. Place the containers with their tops exposed in an area exposed to natural
elements where they will not be disturbed by any unnatural forces.
8. Come back after four weeks to check to see the decomposition of the
materials
9. Carefully remove the remaining paper and plastic and lay them out
10. Record data
11. Clean materials and dispose if waste in an environmentally friendly manner

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Data
Paper

Date Buried
Pieces Found
Square One
3-16-14
0
Square Two
3-16-14
0
Square Three
3-16-14
0

After four weeks (4-13-14) we went to retrieve the buried paper. It had
rained a few times and had rained recently which was a factor in flooding the paper
container. When we shifted through the dirt using my hand to not damage any of the
paper we was unable to find any remaining pieces. The dirt had shifted since we
first set it down. Figure six shows the container before we disturbed it to search for
the three sheets of paper.

Figure 6

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Plastic

Date Buried
Pieces Found
Square One
3-16-14
1
Square Two
3-16-14
1
Square Three
3-16-14
1

After four weeks (4-13-14) we went to retrieve the buried plastic. It had
rained a few times and had rained recently which was a factor in flooding the paper
container. When we shifted through the dirt using my hand to not damage any of the
plastic we found each of the plastic pieces immeasurable degraded in so far as we
could measure it using only my eyes and hands. The dirt had shifted since we first
set it down. Figure seven shows the container before we disturbed it to search for
the three sheets of plastic. Figure eight is the plastic after four weeks.

Figure 7

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Figure 8

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Reflection

1. Our independent variable was the material being buried to test for
degradation. This represents the objective of the lab, which is to measure the
variances in material degradation.
2. The dependent variable is the level of decomposition. The is the actual
measure being observed as per our objective and represents a good measure
for view how different materials break down over time.
3. Not at all. We knew that plastic did not biodegrade and therefore expected it
to be unharmed. We also knew that paper biodegraded relatively quickly
because it was a natural fiber derived from wood.
4. The best way to hand bags is to either expose them to the sun so that they
might break down, or to choose a plastic made from plants that can be
broken down. The other way to break down paper better is to store it in an
environment rich in bacteria that consume it.
5. Yes. It was immediately clear to us that plastic rarely breaks down quickly
naturally; therefore, the best way to prevent it from entering the
environment is to reuse it.
6. I would propose and experiment that measured the difference in
decomposition time between polyethylene plastics and plant based plastics.

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Conclusion
The hypothesis was correct. By the time that both tests were retrieved the

paper was completely decomposed, and the plastic had undergone no visible or
measurable decomposition.

There were two kinds of error that occurred both systematic. The first was

that the materials were not observed often enough to measure decomposition over
time. The second was the placement of the plastic containers. They were in the
range of neighbors sprinklers that kept the containers permanently saturated. This
did not reflect the conditions of a landfill and might have altered results slightly.

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Works Cited

"Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 22 Mar.
2014.
"Landfills, Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web.
22 Mar. 2014.
Lapidos, Juliet. "Do Plastic Bags Really Take 500 Years to Break down in a Landfill?"
Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

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