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The following infographic may be shared or cited as long as we are cited as the source:

Americans generate approximately 4.6 pounds of trash each day per person, which is 251 million tons. What happens to this trash? Much of the waste we produce ends up in a landfill in our communities across the country. By recycling and reusing as much of our refuse as possible, we all can do our part to reduce the amount of materials resulting in landfills, which number approximately 2,500 in the US today.

The infographic below provides information about how a landfill works and is created.

Landfill Statistics

According to recent statistics, landfills are filled wil up to 40-50% paper waste products. Also, much of what is in a modern landfill is plastic bags. It is estimated the US uses 380 single use plastic bags per year, and there are as many as 1 trillion used annually across the globe. By recycling and reusing our waste materials, we can eliminate much of the paper and plastic waste that goes into landfills. This is wise because it takes as long as 1,000 years for a single plastic bag to degrade.

How the Landfill in Your Community Works

Most communities in the United States spend between $2 million and $4 million to create a landfill, which is a carefully designed structure that is built into or on top of the ground where garbage is isolated from the environment (air, rain and groundwater). This isolation is done by using a bottom liner and covering of soil each day. A sanitary landfill will use a liner made of clay to isolate garbage from the environment. A municipal solid waste landfill uses a plastic liner to isolate the trash from the surrounding environment.

The purpose of the landfill is to bury garbage in a way that isolates it from groundwater. The refuse is kept dry and does not make contact with the air. Under such conditions, the trash does not decompose quickly. A landfill is different from a compost pile, where the idea is to bury garbage in a way so that it decomposes rapidly.

The major parts of a modern landfill are:

Linear system: The linear system creates a barrier between the trash and the underlying soil and groundwater. Most landfill builders use a liner made of clay and a synthetic material. Clay is compacted to make it more impermeable. A plastic liner is put over the clay, with a drainage layer installed above the liner.

Drainage and liquid management: The landfill must have a system to collect liquid from inside the landfill; this is called leachate. A pipe is put on top of the liner to allow for drainage and collection of rainwater.

Landfill gas: Waste breaks down over time, and gas byproducts are produced. These gases are mainly methane and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is most likely to exit the landfill with liquids. But methane is not as soluble in water and is usually a gas. This gas is captured at the landfill with a gas collection well. The gas is burned and also can be used as renewable energy in some communities. Methane gas is approximately 50% of the gas created by a landfill, while 45% is carbon dioxide.

Rainfall collection: Stormwater runoff must be collected and stored in a pond. Soil particles settle from the water before it is disposed of in a local stream.

Groundwater monitoring: This is an essential part of operating a landfill. A monitoring well is drilled and regularly checked to ensure groundwater is not being contaminated.

Working face: This is where garbage is put by trucks and compacted. Every day, new trash is covered with soil.

Final cap: When a landfill is full, it is topped with a cover and monitored for 30 years. The cap usually is a plastic liner and is then topped with 24 inches of soil.

Building a Landfill

For a landfill to be constructed in your city or town, operators must follow certain regulations. In the US, there are restrictions where a landfill can be situated and how it can operate. The process starts with a person or entity proposing the landfill to the local government.

In the US, disposing of trash is a responsibility of the local government. Before the community can construct the landfill, it is necessary for an environmental impact study to be performed. This study includes these parts:

The area of land that is proposed for the landfill

The makeup of the soil and bedrock in the area

How surface water flows over the proposed site

What the impact will be of the landfill on the environment and wildlife

The value of the site in terms in archaeological or historical terms

After the study is completed, the entity must obtain permits and money needs to be raised from bonds to pay for an operate the landfill.

Conclusion

Modern landfills are an essential part of responsibly disposing of refuse. But all of us can help to reduce the need for landfill space by recycling and reusing as much of our trash as we can every day.
References

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How a Landfill Works + Facts and Statistics for Kids - ReuseThisBag.com

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The following infographic may be shared or cited as long as we are cited as the source: Americans generate approximately 4.6 pounds of trash each day per person, which is 251 million tons. What happens to this trash?

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Twelve million tons. That's how much waste New Englanders produce every year.

All of that waste has to go somewhere, and a landfill is often the destination. In theory, once the trash is deposited in the landfill, that's where it stays. In reality, that's far from the truth.

All landfills leak - some over time and some from day one of operation - leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply.

This may be hard to believe. After all, federal and state agencies regulate landfills, so, naturally, you would assume that they maintain a high level of oversight over these facilities. What's more, landfill management companies themselves like to stress that they follow all regulations, and they point to a laundry list of actions they are taking and systems that exist to back this up.

If a landfill was leaking, then wouldn't the landfill company and environmental agencies spring into action? Wouldn't the landfill would be closed, the leaking identified and repaired, and the public and environment protected until the landfill was safe to operate again?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding, "No."

Safe landfills are a Fairytale.

Add up all of the everyday items people and businesses throw away, from coffee cups to clothes to food scraps to household hazardous waste, and you have municipal solid waste, or "MSW." That waste most likely ends up in a large, regional municipal solid waste incinerator or landfill where it's burned or buried.

The theory behind landfills is that once waste is buried, the contamination remains inert in landfill "cells." To keep the waste dry and contained, landfill cells today are required to have two plastic liners, each backed with synthetic clay, putting a few inches between decomposing trash and the soil beneath it. Once the landfill cell is full, gravel, a flexible plastic cap, and some sod are then built on top of the cell.

This should be a nice, tidy end to that waste, but in reality, it is impossible to keep landfill cells dry. Rain and snow get into them while they're open and accepting waste (which can be for years). And even after the cell is sealed, the plastic caps develop holes over time, letting in more rain and snow.

The water that gets into landfill cells picks up contaminants from the waste and becomes "leachate." What's in the leachate depends on what's in the landfill, but some chemicals can be counted on, such as volatile organic compounds, chloride, nitrogen, solvents, phenols, and heavy metals.

The safeguards intended to prevent leachate from escaping a landfill cell - pipe collection systems in newer landfills and the plastic and clay liners mentioned above - fail over time. This toxic brew of "garbage coffee" leaks out of the landfill and seeps into groundwater - contaminating wells and waterbodies.

Landfill Liners Have Evolved, But You Can't Retrofit an Old One

While even a new system is vulnerable to leaks, a bigger problem is that many of New England's 75 landfills have been operating for decades, and the technology meant to keep our groundwaters safe from contamination was never expected to last.

From the 1950s through the early 1980s, when many of the region's largest facilities were first built, landfills were usually lined with compacted soil and clay. But that technology was ultimately abandoned because it didn't prevent leachate from escaping for long. A clay liner even a foot thick will fail within five years. That means that it's pretty safe to assume that any landfill that began operating with unlined or clay lined cells is leaking toxic contaminants.

By the late 1980s landfills had started to use single plastic liner systems, and eventually, two liner systems were required. But these often rip during installation, and they always develop holes and cracks over time.

The thing is, these landfills with their leaky liners can't be fixed. It's impossible to retrofit old cells with newer technology. And even if you could replace old liners with the plastic ones required today, we are still talking about plastic and synthetic clay. These newer liners too will break down over time, meaning we are merely kicking the contamination can down the road for our kids to suffer the consequences.

The production of leachate cannot be avoided, and despite the attempted collection of leachate in newer landfills, some of it still escapes into the environment. The failure of these double liner systems is not only inevitable, it is also acknowledged by the agency enforcing it. EPA itself has said:

"No liner... can keep all liquids out of the ground for all time. Eventually liners will either degrade, tear, or crack and will allow liquid to migrate out of the unit."

The Canary in the Coal Mine: Groundwater Monitoring

Landfill companies are required to monitor whether leachate is leaking by monitoring groundwater around the cells. When properly implemented, such monitoring programs would be able to identify the leak so that the facility operator could then clean it up as best possible. But this simply does not happen.

Many times, too few monitoring wells surround the landfill, or they aren't installed at different depths, leaving leaks undetected. Even worse, when groundwater monitoring indicates that contaminants are present and should be investigated, the results are often ignored. Local officials, state agencies, and even concerned citizens are either unaware of the leaks, don't have the resources or political will to take action, or believe the unsubstantiated claims of the landfill companies that the origin of the contaminants is anything other than the landfill.

Environmental agencies also let landfills get away with minimizing or ignoring their toxic byproducts. The Southbridge Landfill in Massachusetts had been leaking a smorgasbord of contaminants for more than a decade when Casella Waste applied to expand the facility in 2008. Contamination had even been detected in the drinking wells of neighboring homes. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which authorizes landfill expansions, did not raise this contamination at any of the local or state hearings on the proposed expansion, nor did Casella Waste. Residents and local officials were completely unaware of the damning results sitting on the Department's shelves, despite attending months of public hearings themselves. And Casella received their permits to expand.

No Landfill is Safe

There's simply no such thing as a safe landfill. No matter how many barriers, liners, and pipes we install to try to mitigate the risk, landfills will always leak toxic chemicals into the soil and water.

So let's not build anymore. Instead, we should solve our waste problem by instituting Zero Waste programs that save money, protect the public health and environment, and create new jobs. We know the right answer - and it's not more leaking landfills.

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All Landfills Leak, and Our Health and Environment Pay the Toxic Price | Conservation Law Foundation

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All landfills leak - some over time and some from day one of operation - leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply. Despite state and federal regulation, landfills are harming the health and environment of communities in New England.

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Geneva residents demand action over smelly landfill

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Some Geneva residents are demanding action over the Ontario County Landfill.

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State testing to take place at the Old Palymra landfill

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation detected perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in 2017, and 2018 samplings. These findings caused the site to be designated as a potential state superfund. The town of Palymra, along with DEC, is conducting a site characterization study to determine if the location meets requirements for placement on the State Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites.

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Read the article AND WATCH THE VIDEO

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American Association for the Advancement of Science (or AAAS) Formed in 1848, it was the first permanent organization formed to promote the development of science and engineering at the national level and to represent the interests of all its disciplines. It is now the world's largest such society. Despite its name, membership in it is open to anyone who believes "that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can help solve many of the challenges the world faces today." Its members live in 91 nations. Based in Washington, D.C., it publishes a host of peer-reviewed journals - most notably Science.

atmosphere The envelope of gases surrounding Earth or another planet.

average (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.

chemical A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H ₂ O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.

chronic A condition, such as an illness (or its symptoms, including pain), that lasts for a long time.

compound (often used as a synonym for chemical) A compound is a substance formed when two or more chemical elements unite (bond) in fixed proportions. For example, water is a compound made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. Its chemical symbol is H ₂ O.

data Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.

diabetes A disease where the body either makes too little of the hormone insulin (known as type 1 disease) or ignores the presence of too much insulin when it is present (known as type 2 diabetes).

diesel fuel Heavier and oilier than gasoline, this is another type of fuel made from crude oil. It's used to power many engines - not only in cars and trucks but also to power some industrial motors - that don't rely on spark plugs to ignite the fuel.

environmental science The study of ecosystems to help identify environmental problems and possible solutions. Environmental science can bring together many fields including physics, chemistry, biology and oceanography to understand how ecosystems function and how humans can coexist with them in harmony. People who work in this field are known as environmental scientists.

evaporate To turn from liquid into vapor.

exhaust (in engineering) The gases and fine particles emitted - often at high speed and/or pressure - by combustion (burning) or by the heating of air. Exhaust gases are usually a form of waste.

fossil fuel Any fuel - such as coal, petroleum (crude oil) or natural gas - that has developed within the Earth over millions of years from the decayed remains of bacteria, plants or animals.

mass A number that shows how much an object resists speeding up and slowing down - basically a measure of how much matter that object is made from.

organic (in chemistry) An adjective that indicates something is carbon-containing; a term that relates to the chemicals that make up living organisms. (in agriculture) Farm products grown without the use of non-natural and potentially toxic chemicals, such as pesticides.

ozone A colorless gas that forms high in the atmosphere and at ground level. When it forms at Earth's surface, ozone is a pollutant that irritates eyes and lungs. It is also a major ingredient of smog.

particulate A tiny bit of something. A term used by pollution scientists to refer to extremely tiny solid particles and liquid droplets in air that can be inhaled into the lungs. So-called coarse particulates are those with a diameter that is 10 micrometers or smaller. Fine particulates have a diameter no bigger than 2.5 micrometers (or 2,500 nanometers). Ultra-fine particulates tend to have a diameter of 0.1 micrometer (100 nanometers) or less. The smaller the particulate, the more easily it can be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Ultra-fine particulates may be small enough to pass through cell walls and into the blood, where they can then move throughout the body.

petroleum A thick flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons. Petroleum is a fossil fuel mainly found beneath the Earth's surface. It is the source of the chemicals used to make gasoline, lubricating oils, plastics and many other products.

pollutant A substance that taints something - such as the air, water, our bodies or products. Some pollutants are chemicals, such as pesticides. Others may be radiation, including excess heat or light. Even weeds and other invasive species can be considered a type of biological pollution.

smog A kind of pollution that develops when chemicals react in the air. The word comes from a blend of "smoke" and "fog," and was coined to describe pollution from burning fossil fuels on cold, damp days. Another kind of smog, which usually looks brown, develops when pollutants from cars react with sunlight in the atmosphere on hot days.

urban Of or related to cities, especially densely populated ones or regions where lots of traffic and industrial activity occurs. The development or buildup of urban areas is a phenomenon known as urbanization.

volatile Chemical that easily evaporates into the gas phase.

volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Certain solid and liquid chemicals that evaporate (become gases), often at room temperature or lower. Many of these chemicals can be harmful if inhaled or allowed to move through the skin. Concentrations of these chemicals tend to be higher indoors than out. Sources of VOCs include numerous household products, such as paints, varnishes, waxes, oil-dissolving solvents, cleansers, disinfecting, cosmetics, degreasers and glues. Many fuels also release VOCs.

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Analyze This: Beauty products are big sources of urban air pollution

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American Association for the Advancement of Science (or AAAS) Formed in 1848, it was the first permanent organization formed to promote the development of science and engineering at the national level and to represent the interests of all its disciplines. It is now the world's largest such society.

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Air Pollution is Shortening People's Lives

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Air Pollution is Shortening People's Lives

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Air is free. But breathing dirty air has a price. Indeed, it can cost someone's life span months - even years, a new study finds.

Worldwide, air pollution lowers average life spans by a year. In more polluted parts of Asia and Africa, dirty air shortens lives up to twice that much. Scientists shared their new findings August 22 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

The study used data gathered in 2016 as part of a project known as the Global Burden of Disease. It was the first major country-by-country look at the link between life spans and what's known as fine PM (PM is short for particulate matter). Less than 2.5 micrometers across, these bits of pollution are less than one-thirtieth the width of an average human hair. Such pollution is known as PM 2.5.

Air pollution has been linked to many health problems. Among them are lung and heart diseases. Most earlier studies had looked at how tiny air pollutants affected rates of illness or death. But when you talk about such rates, "you see people's eyes glaze over," says Joshua Apte. He's an environmental scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. By instead looking at life expectancy, his team had hoped to make the threat easier to understand.

"People," he explains, "care not just about whether you die - we all die - but also how much younger are you going to be when that happens."

All countries suffer

Pollution makes a difference even in countries with relatively clean air, such as the United States and Australia. Even the low levels of PM 2.5 in them costs their average residents a few months of their lives.

PM 2.5 is what scientists call tiny particles of pollution in the air. Higher levels of PM 2.5 can cause health problems and cut months, if not years, from the average life span. This analysis, based on 2016 data, shows how pollution affects life expectancy in different parts of the world. Each dot represents a country.

Credit: E. Otwell; Data source: J.S. Apte 2018 et al/Environmental Science & TechnologyLetters 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting PM 2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Apte's group calculated how holding pollution to this low level would help people. Some high-income countries, including Canada, already keep their air this clean. But others, typically in fairly poor countries, have far higher pollution levels.

Egyptians, for example, could gain back about 1.3 years of life on average by meeting the WHO standard, the study calculated. Life spans in China would increase by an average of about nine months.

But meeting the WHO standard won't eliminate health costs from dirty air. That's because even below 10 micrograms per cubic meter, pollution still causes significant risks.

India is has some of the world's worst air pollution. There, clearing the air to WHO standards would up the chances by 20 percent that a 60-year-old person would live another 25 years, the authors say.

How cleaning up the air can lengthen lives

Reducing air pollution could increase life expectancy. This map shows what would happen if every country limited fine particles in the air to 10 micrograms per cubic meter. That's the limit the World Health Organization recommends. In countries with very dirty air, that change would lengthen people's lives. In countries whose air already meets this standard, the map shows no gain in life expectancy. That's because even very low levels of pollution can still harm health.

Credit: E. Otwell; Data source: J.S. Apte 2018 et al/Environmental Science & TechnologyLetters 2018

The scientists also compared how other threats shorten life spans across the globe. These risk factors included smoking and cancer. In South Asia (which includes India, for example), they found PM 2.5 had a bigger effect on life expectancy than did all cancers combined!

These results show that in poor countries, cleaning up dirty air could greatly boost life spans. It could have as big an effect as cleaning up drinking water, or curing breast cancer or lung cancer. In wealthier countries, the opposite is true. Air pollution shortens life expectancy in these countries by less than half a year. But all forms of cancer shorten the average life in wealthier countries by more than 3.5 years.

Knowing this "can really help people, or policy makers, decide where to spend their money," says Kirk Smith. He studies global environmental health at the University of California, Berkeley. Smith was not involved in the study.

Fine particulate air pollution, or PM 2.5, is just one of many common health risks. But in some places, this pollution shortens people's lives by more than other problems like lung cancer or poor water quality.

Credit: E. Otwell; Data source: J.S. Apte 2018 et al/Environmental Science & TechnologyLetters 2018

Similar research has treated all countries and populations the same. The new study doesn't. It shows how air pollution affects how long people are likely to survive in a given country. Each country has a different baseline level of health. For example, Russia and Ukraine have relatively old and unhealthy populations. Even though these countries have fairly low pollution, cleaning up their air might greatly boost life spans.

In 42 countries - mostly in Africa and Asia - PM 2.5 shortened life spans by a year or more. Imagine having an extra year with the people in your life who matter most. Clearly, Apte says, "Everybody benefits when the air is improved."

Power Words
More About Power Words

average (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.

cancer Any of more than 100 different diseases, each characterized by the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The development and growth of cancers, also known as malignancies, can lead to tumors, pain and death.

environmental health A research field that focuses on measuring the effects of pollutants and other factors in the environment on the health of people, wildlife or ecosystems.

environmental science The study of ecosystems to help identify environmental problems and possible solutions. Environmental science can bring together many fields including physics, chemistry, biology and oceanography to understand how ecosystems function and how humans can coexist with them in harmony. People who work in this field are known as environmental scientists.

factor Something that plays a role in a particular condition or event; a contributor.

link A connection between two people or things.

micrometer (sometimes called a micron) One thousandth of a millimeter, or one millionth of a meter. It's also equivalent to a few one-hundred-thousandths of an inch.

particulate A tiny bit of something. A term used by pollution scientists to refer to extremely tiny solid particles and liquid droplets in air that can be inhaled into the lungs. So-called coarse particulates are those with a diameter that is 10 micrometers or smaller. Fine particulates have a diameter no bigger than 2.5 micrometers (or 2,500 nanometers). Ultra-fine particulates tend to have a diameter of 0.1 micrometer (100 nanometers) or less. The smaller the particulate, the more easily it can be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Ultra-fine particulates may be small enough to pass through cell walls and into the blood, where they can then move throughout the body.

policy A plan, stated guidelines or agreed-upon rules of action to apply in certain specific circumstances. For instance, a school could have a policy on when to permit snow days or how many excused absences it would allow a student in a given year.

pollutant A substance that taints something - such as the air, water, our bodies or products. Some pollutants are chemicals, such as pesticides. Others may be radiation, including excess heat or light. Even weeds and other invasive species can be considered a type of biological pollution.

population (in biology) A group of individuals from the same species that lives in the same area.

resident Some member of a community of organisms that lives in a particular place. (Antonym: visitor)

risk The chance or mathematical likelihood that some bad thing might happen. For instance, exposure to radiation poses a risk of cancer. Or the hazard - or peril - itself. (For instance: Among cancer risks that the people faced were radiation and drinking water tainted with arsenic.)

smoking A term for the deliberate inhalation of tobacco smoke from burning cigarettes.

standards (in pollution regulations) A limit above which something may not be used, sold or considered safe.

technology The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry - or the devices, processes and systems that result from those efforts.

World Health Organization An agency of the United Nations, established in 1948, to promote health and to control communicable diseases. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The United Nations relies on the WHO for providing international leadership on global health matters. This organization also helps shape the research agenda for health issues and sets standards for pollutants and other things that could pose a risk to health. WHO also regularly reviews data to set policies for maintaining health and a healthy environment.

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Air pollution is shortening lives worldwide | Science News for Students

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Air is free. But breathing dirty air has a price. Indeed, it can cost someone's life span months - even years, a new study finds. Worldwide, air pollution lowers average life spans by a year. In more polluted parts of Asia and Africa, dirty air shortens lives up to twice that much.

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Melting Ice Brings Humans and Polar Bears Together

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Melting Ice Brings Humans and Polar Bears Together

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Please read the article AND WATCH THE VIDEO

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This Ingenious Machine Turns Feces Into Drinking Water

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Bill Gates recently got to check out the Omniprocessor, an ingenious machine designed and built by Janicki Bioenergy, which turns human waste into water and electricity.

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See Teacher for "Feeling the Heat" Article

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See Teacher for "Feeling the Heat" Article

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Arctic Climate Perspectives | PBS LearningMedia

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This video, adapted from material provided by the ECHO partners, shows the changes now happening in Barrow, Alaska, due to global warming. The Iñupiaq people who live in Barrow present their observations of these changes based on their centuries-old knowledge of their environment, and describe how these changes are already affecting their lives.

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Inuit Observations of Climate Change | PBS LearningMedia

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This video adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development profiles the Arctic Inuit community of Sachs Harbour and its collaboration with scientists studying climate change. Changes in the land, sea, and animals are readily apparent to the residents of Sachs Harbour-many of whom hunt, trap, and fish-because of their long-standing and intimate connection with their ecosystem.

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ROCHESTER, NY (WKBW) - Wegmans has announced that by the end of this year, it will be the first to eliminate the use of plastic bags in all its grocery stores across New York State.

"We want to get out ahead of this because we have a lot to learn from our customers about how we can help them make the shift to reusable bags, which are far better than paper bags for the environment." said Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans packaging and sustainability manager.

The state passed a new law that calls to eliminate the use of plastic grocery shopping backs by March 1, 2020. Wegmans is working said it's on the "road to zero waste" and is making the commitment to further reduce it's 'in-store' plastic packaging created from fossil fuels. This includes other 'single-use' plastics, such a straws.

Wegmans wants to reduce the usage by 10-million pounds by 2024. Wegmans switched from plastic straws and drink stir sticks to renewable fiber alternatives at all of its store locations as well as corporate work sites this year. Wegmans said it will work to achieve this "by eliminating some current plastic packaging and replacing it with materials made from plant-based renewable fiber."

Wegmans said it will also "continue to work closely with The Center for Sustainable Packaging at Rochester Institute of Technology to identify new opportunities and packaging innovations" at all its stores and corporate work sites.

"We're taking measurable steps to improve and implement programs that increase our recycling rate, minimize waste, and help make a difference in every community we serve," said Wadsworth. "One area we're paying particular attention to is packaging. We need to ensure packaging is functional and performs as expected, which is key to reducing food waste. But, it must also use materials efficiently and responsibly, and be recyclable whenever possible."But even before this year, Wegmans started a mission of reducing plastic packaging in 2015. "Since putting a major focus on sustainable packaging in 2015, we've made great progress and have picked up a good deal of momentum," said Wadsworth. "But with the aggressive goal we've set, momentum alone isn't enough. We need to kick it into high gear."
Here are just a few examples of how Wegmans has already reduced plastic throughout its stores:
· food bar containers that use 40% less plastic and are recyclable

· donut and Celebration Cake boxes made from 100% recycled paper content

· produce bags made from 100% plant-based renewable materials

· rotisserie chicken pouches that use 75 percent less plastic than the previously used plastic domes

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Wegmans will end use of plastic bags at end of year

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ROCHESTER, NY (WKBW) - Wegmans has announced that by the end of this year, it will be the first to eliminate the use of plastic bags in all its grocery stores across New York State.

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This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society.

On Saturday, the curators at a natural history museum in Davao City, the Philippines, got a call from the local marine agency: An emaciated-looking whale in the Davao Gulf was vomiting blood, listing badly as it swam, and was very likely going to die shortly. They should come pick up its body.

When Darrell Blatchley, a marine mammal expert and the curator at the D'Bone Collector Museum in Davao City, brought the whale back to the lab to open it up for a necropsy, he found something shocking: more than 88 pounds of plastic waste jammed into its belly.

"Plastic was just bursting out of its stomach," he said. "We pulled out the first bag, then the second. By the time we hit 16 rice sacks-on top of the plastic bags, and the snack bags, and big tangles of nylon ropes, you're like-seriously?"

His son, who was attending the necropsy, said "Dad, how did it even live this long?"

The plastic trash was so densely packed into the dead whale's stomach that it felt as "hard and compacted as a baseball," he said, only many times bigger-more like two dense basketballs of trash, about eight percent of the juvenile beaked whale's total weight. Some of it had been in the stomach so long it had started to calcify.

The curvier beaked whale, a young male about 15 feet long and weighing 1,100 pounds, likely died of starvation and dehydration brought on by the plastic stuffing its belly. Whales absorb water from the food they eat, and there was no sign that any food had made it into its intestines for many days. Its body was destroying itself from the inside: Its stomach acid, unable to break down the plastic waste, had worn holes through its stomach lining instead.

( Read about how the ocean has become a plastic-filled minefield for many marine mammals).

This whale was far from alone

As the plastic pollution crisis grows, more and more dolphins, whales, birds, and fish are found dead with their stomachs full of plastic. In 2015, scientists estimated that around 90 percent of all seabirds have ingested some amount of plastic; UNESCO estimates that 100,000 marine mammals die because of plastic pollution each year.

The cause of death varies. Sometimes, like in this case, plastic blocks food from traveling from stomach to intestine, essentially starving the animal. Other times, sharp edges poke holes in their internal organs.

In most cases, the amount of plastic animals ingest isn't enough to kill them, says Matthew Savoca, a Stanford-based whale expert who also studies plastic pollution. But the effects can cascade, even if only a little bit of plastic lodges in their bellies, taking up valuable space. "If you're eating 10 percent less calories than your neighbor, day after day, that adds up," says Savoca.

"Basically, wherever we're looking for plastics, we're finding them," says Savoca, "Now, we're seeing that even in places humans never even have been close to, we find our trash. And not just that, but animals eating our trash."

The waters around the Philippines are particularly treacherous for many marine animals. The country is one of the most prolific plastic polluters in the world, and many of its waterways are thick with trash.

The country has many laws in place that aim to curb plastic pollution, but enforcement has been light, and the logistics of managing waste disposal across the country's more than 7,000 islands is challenging, and plastic-wrapped items are for sale nearly everywhere.

Blatchley has recovered 61 whales that died in the nearby Davao Gulf. Of those, he estimates that plastics were the cause of death for about 45 of them. The problem is exacerbated, he says, by heavy fishing in the region, which has limited the amount of food available for the whales to eat, making them even more likely to try to eat plastics floating nearby.

"It's just tragic that this is becoming the norm, to expect that these whales will die because of plastic rather than from natural causes," he says. "We're losing them faster than they can evolve to learn not to eat the plastic."

National Geographic is committed to reducing plastics pollution. Learn more about our non-profit activities at natgeo.org/plastics. Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge.

The National Geographic Society and Sky Ocean Ventures have launched the Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge, which asks problem solvers around the globe to develop novel solutions to tackle the world's plastic waste crisis. Have an idea? Submit your solution by June 11 at oceanplastic-challenge.org.

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This whale had more than 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach when it died

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This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society. On Saturday, the curators at a natural history museum in Davao City, the Philippines, got a call from the local marine agency: An emaciated-looking whale in the Davao Gulf was vomiting blood, listing badly as it swam, and was very likely going to die shortly.