I found this week’s discussions on landfills to be very interesting overall. In particular, before this week, I was not aware of the concept of a “sanitary landfill,” and I always tended to assume that there was not such a thing as landfills that are designed with environmental concerns in mind. As we discussed in class, sanitary landfills incorporate features to limit pollution and protect the environment and public health. A key part of this is covering the waste every day with a layer of soil in order to prevent pests, minimize odors, and reduce rainwater runoff. Another point we talked about that stood out to me is that paper often takes up the largest percentage amount of space in landfills, possibly due to a lack of biodegrading. In a sense, sanitary landfills represent a kind of compromise; they are an attempt to reconcile our consumption practices with the environmental impacts. However, this compromise also raises important questions regarding long-term sustainability. Although sanitary landfills might lessen short-term risks, they still contribute to the buildup of waste and the potential for future environmental dangers. The liners, engineered to prevent leachate and other pollutants from contaminating groundwater, may degrade as time passes, and the methane produced by decaying organic matter, even when captured for energy, still contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases. Moreover, the sheer amount of waste generated underlines the need for a more profound shift towards lessening consumption and adopting principles of a “circular economy.” It prompts us to consider whether depending on landfills, even those deemed “sanitary,” is really a sustainable solution, or simply a temporary approach that defers a more thorough assessment of our waste footprint. All in all, the discussions this week have made me think much more deeply about my own habits of consumption as well as the obligation we all share to live more sustainable lives.