While it is common to think of trash as being dead, once deposited in a landfill it is anything but that. Bacteria, microbes, and other microscopic organisms work in conjunction with materials in the water, soil, air, and even garbage itself to decompose our trash. As those organisms do their work, they produce significant quantities of landfill gas, which is a mixture of methane (or natural gas), carbon dioxide, water vapor, and toxic organic compounds—although principally methane and carbon... więcej

Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2023. 2p.