The degradation of the earth’s land surfaces, both above and below ground level, is referred to as land pollution.

Land pollution occurs when trash, compost, and other toxins are dumped on the land, contaminating or polluting it. Land pollution is caused by human activities such as littering and waste washed ashore from boats, oil rigs, and sewage treatment plants.

The accumulation of solid and liquid waste products, which contaminate groundwater and soil, is the cause. The greater the permeability of the soil, the greater the risk of land contamination.

THE MAIN CAUSES OF LAND POLLUTION:

Litter 

Littering, the improper disposal of waste products, is unfortunately common. Every cigarette butt tossed on the ground or food wrapper tossed out of a car window is a small contribution to a monumental issue. According to Keep America Beautiful, 76% of litter found on roadways is from pedestrians and motorists. Not all litter, however, is intentional. A large volume of litter also comes from unsecured items that fall off the back of vehicles or out of trash receptacles. 

All litter, whether intentional or not, causes pollution by releasing chemicals and microparticles as it degrades. Check out our blog post on littering to learn more about the effects of littering and how to reduce it in your community. 

Urbanization and Construction

While urbanization is not in itself littering, large quantities of people living, producing trash and littering in a dense area does inevitably lead to land pollution. To accommodate this increased population, construction activities also occur, which result in large waste materials, such as metal, plastic, wood, and bricks. When these materials are not properly disposed of, it contributes to the land pollution of that area. 

To help reduce the environmental impact of construction sites, it’s important to work with partners that offer comprehensive builder solutions to achieve cost-effective construction recycling and waste disposal plans. 

Mining

Mining is the extraction of minerals and other geological materials from the ground, which are then used for a wide range of purposes, including but not limited to, producing gasoline for automobiles, generating electricity, and selling materials such as gold and silver. This extraction and the methods used, however, deplete the earth of its natural resources and cause damage and pollution in its wake. That’s why finding alternatives for energy (think solar and wind power) that aren’t mined from the earth’s surface are so vital in helping to reduce land pollution moving forward.

Agriculture 

Agriculture is foundational for both everyday life, as well as the economy as a whole. It also, however, can have profound effects on the planet. Agricultural pollution occurs when contamination created as a by-product of raising livestock and growing food crops is released into the environment, and the contamination is vast. 

EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION :

Land pollution touches essentially every area of the living world, including:

• Water that isn’t safe to drink.
• Polluted soil, which leads to a loss of fertile land for agriculture.
• Climate change, which causes an onslaught of disastrous problems, including flash floods and irregular rainfalls .
• The endangerment and extinction of species in wildlife.
• Habitat shifting, where some animals are forced to flee where they live in order to survive.
• An increase in wildfires, due to polluted areas often becoming very dry
• Increased air pollution, which burning waste contributes to.

Published by

Ayisha Shabana…..