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Ways of Reducing Land Pollution

The prevention of land pollution is achievable and is something which can be addressed by both individuals and companies. People have become increasingly conscious of what causes land pollution, and improvements have been made to combat it in recent years. Combating land pollution is not only important for the environment, it is also in the interests of human health.

  1. Reuse and Recycle

    • Reusing products will lessen the need to manufacture items, which will save energy by itself. This will also result in fewer items being thrown away and ending up in landfill sites. Items which can be reused include jars and plastic bottles. Empty jars can become containers for other things, and empty bottles can be refilled with water or diluted fruit juice. Recycling items has been made easier in recent years. Some local authorities issue householders with specially designated bags or bins for holding recyclable items, which are consequently collected with the weekly trash pickup.

    More Biodegradable Products and Packaging

    • Packaging on many foods is unnecessary. A bunch of bananas wrapped in plastic is superfluous, because the skin of the banana acts as a natural protection. Packaging will end up in the land or in the sea, which will harm creatures who ingest it. A major source of land pollution is plastic. In a landfill site, plastic will take a very long time to degrade. Biodegradable products, on the other hand, are the opposite, and are more beneficial for the environment.

    Punishments and Incentives

    • Bringing in stiffer penalties for polluters will encourage both companies and individuals to act more responsibly. Companies that build up a reputation for being a "clean" company should be encouraged, which will, in turn, encourage other companies to become more active in preventing land pollution. Offering grants to companies with a practical, but green, agenda is one way of doing this. Companies which are negligent about chemical waste should be not only more heavily fined, but they should be more stringently monitored than they are at present.

    Environmentally Aware Management of Nature

    • If the demand for organic food becomes stronger, then this will discourage the use of pesticides during food production. Pesticides not only affect the creatures that are targeted, but it has a detrimental effect on much of the life around an area where a pesticide is used. Deforestation is also damaging to the land, as, when conducted on a large scale, it will affect the whole ecosystem living under the forest canopy.

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