About Land Pollution Activities

Land pollution is often the most obvious type of pollution to humans, since they see it all over, even in their own backyards. This comes in the form of litter, landfills, waste from building or mining, and pesticides.

Pesticides/Herbicides

• These are chemicals that are poured over plants, usually at large farms but also at homes. The chemicals get into the water and cover the land so that much of it cannot be used free of chemicals for a long time afterward.

Landfills

• When people dispose of their waste in a trash can, it gets shipped to a giant hole in the ground called a landfill. This takes up lots of space on the earth which could be used for animal habitat, living, or enjoyment otherwise. It also is filled with toxic gasses and liquids that could potentially get into the ground nearby.

Buried Bodies

• Burying dead bodies is a surprising activity that causes land pollution. It takes up lots of space that could be used for other things, and all the digging of holes wears away the soil making it difficult for plants to grow. Bodies eventually decompose, causing chemicals to leach into the surrounding ground.

Acid Rain

• Many people do not realize that the gases that get pumped into the air, such as methane or carbon dioxide, also can pollute the land. When it rains, the rain drops pick up the chemicals and spread them around the land, wearing away structures and mountains, and affecting the plants that are needed for survival.

Soil

• When forests are chopped down, or when fires come through an area due to human intervention, it leaves nothing to strengthen and build up the topsoil. Topsoil is very important for any agriculture or plant matter to grow. Pesticides and poor farming practices also remove topsoil making lots of land infertile and impossible to grow anything on.