Air Quality
Those of us living in Pasco County know what it’s like to breathe fresh air mixed with the scent of orange blossoms.
But with a landfill, that will all change.
Landfills – especially large landfills like the one proposed for Pasco County – are host to a variety of unpleasant odors. Our orange blossom-scented mornings will turn into the aroma of a 220-foot pile of rotting trash.
Air quality is also a concern. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, landfills like the one proposed for East Pasco produce 115 times more greenhouse gases than waste-to-energy plants. Greenhouse gasses such as methane and carbon dioxide will be byproducts of the landfill. Those gases, known as greenhouse gasses, are responsible for climate change and global warming.
Dust is another issue. Heavy machinery and truck traffic from 1,000 trucks a day could produce massive amounts of dust. This dust problem is more than a nuisance for neighbors, it can travel great distances. Think about the annoying smoke from the Spring 2007 fires in Georgia, and then consider the dust problem from this proposed private landfill.
This mix of dust and truck fumes will impact asthmatics and anyone with breathing problems. They will have to limit their time outside because the dust and diesel fumes from this site have would increase the likelihood of respiratory attacks.
The truth is, when this bad idea is disposed of, we’ll all breathe easier.