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5000
DUMPS
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FILMSCRffTS ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
This script is one of a series published to help
lecturers, teachers, and group leaders prepare for viewing
and discussion of solid waste management films. It is
also intended for those in an audience who want
a permanent record of the data presented in a film.
It was written by Stuart Finley, Inc.,
the producer of the film, in close cooperation with staff of the
Federal solid waste management program.
below.
Titles and publication numbers of scripts
for solid waste management films are shown
The Third Pollution SW-39c.l
Bum, Bury, or What? SW-39c.2
Recycling SW-39c.3
5000 Dumps SW-39c.4
In the Bag SW-39c.5
The Green Box SW-39c.6
The Stuff We Throw Away SW-39c.7
What's New in Solid Waste Management? SW-39c.8
Instructions for borrowing or purchasing these films are
given with each script and are summarized in the
brochure Films Tell the Story, available from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C., 20402.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1972
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5000 DUMPS
21 minutes, 16-mm motion picture, sound, color, 1971, Order no. M-2119-X.*
5000 DUMPS shows how an increasing number of communities are solving the
practical problems of closing dumps and successfully initiating sanitary landfills.
The film is designed to be used in the Mission 5000 national campaign to eliminate
dumps by soliciting the assistance and cooperation of thousands of local
communities. Designed for use by community action groups and local officials and
appropriate for use in the classroom.
Beautiful scene in West Virginia
mountains in the autumn ... pan-
ning to small town ... zooming
past it to burning dump on a
hillside
Find your way to the real America. Leave your big cities with
their urban problems .. . drive along the highways—then off of
them into God's country ... up into the rolling Appalachian
Mountains to these highlands of West Virginia ... and then
find a surprise!
Durham, North Carolina burning
dump
Woman throws garbage into huge
burning dump at bottom of canyon
Pan of huge open dump in New
York State
The town dump! Burning one moment . . . smouldering the
next... a reminder that ugliness can be anywhere . . .
everywhere people are.
Or drive through North Carolina and watch as this city of
100,000 burns its waste.
Or visit the Redwood Country of Northern California as a lady
disposes of her garbage.
In New York State ... an open dump. There are thousands of
them in the United States.
Men dumping refuse in a western
desert; open dump with mountains
hi the background
More of man's cast-offs clutter the western desert.
Seagulls in garbage; flies on garbage Open dumping is a health hazard.
Scavenger picking through refuse;
smoking dump
The Environmental Protection Agency of the federal
government has organized a campaign called MISSION
5000. .. the purpose: to improve the quality of our
environment by eliminating 5,000 of America's dumps in an
'Borrow from: National Medical Audiovisual Center
Purchase from: Stuart Finley, Inc.
3428 Mansfield Road, Falls Church, Va. 22041
Area code 703/802-7700
Prints - $200
Cleared for TV.
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effective 2-year project. .. soliciting the assistance and
cooperation of thousands of local communities.
Pan aaoss burning dump A typical American dump. It’s located near Glen Burnie,
Maryland... just outside Baltimore... in Anne Arundel
County.
Scavengers leave smoking dump and Until recently, the average American has accepted the cheapest
then refuse truck drives in and easiest means of disposal ... usually simply a dump.
Today, the mood has changed. The public demands a better
environment. New systems must be devised to control the
quantity and characteristics of wastes, and provide efficient
collection, creative recycling of materials which can be reused,
and proper disposal of the residue. Established programs must
change to provide these improvements.
Compacter truck dumps refuse More discards arrive.
Zoom to show that the dump is But look.., the dump has been converted into a sanitary
now a landfill; landfill operation landfill. Maryland recently passed a law requiring all counties
to develop a comprehensive plan for solid waste management.
Because of its previous poor performance, Anne Arundel
County was the first to be cited. They chose to convert the
dump into a properly operated landfill where refuse is
compacted and covered continuously. The credit goes to the
Maryland Legislature, the State Health Department, and
officials of Anne Arundel County. Incidentally, if the county
had failed to cooperate, the new state law contained a
hardnosed provision which would have permitted the state to
do the job and bifi the county.
Meeting of the Minnesota Pollution Most states do not effectively regulate open dumping or open
Control Board at St. Paul burning of solid wastes. Here at a recent meeting of the
Minnesota State Pollution Control Board at St. Paul, officials
are implementing a new antibuming law. This was D-Day...
Dump Day... before the Pollution Control Board. Mter
D-Day, communities could no longer burn refuse in the open.
The discussion focussed on what scores of counties and
hundreds of towns and cities would do. The flow of solid
wastes would continue. Each community would have to devise
a plan and put it into effect... in many instances hiring
specialized personnel, buying land and equipment, and
increasing taxes or establishing new special service charges for
waste disposal. The Board set procedures to be followed and
sent them to all communities. MOst states have not yet moved
this far.
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Civil War statue in Moultrie,
Georgia... panning to center of
downtown area
Moultrie’s new landfill
Moultrie’s dump... showing
burned material.., then panning
to bulldozer pushing around large
piles of fresh refuse
Inferior operation by a private
operator showing dozer pushing
wastes and litter nearby
Burning dump where a new landfill
is to be opened
Moultrie, Georgia is famous for its tobacco, cattle, hogs,
poultry, cotton, peanuts, corn, pecans, watermelon—and
dump. But, Moultrie’s dump is being eliminated. Two petitions
from local residents caused the Georgia Department of Public
Health to place the city “under orders” to cease and desist
within 30 days. The city had known for several years that
eventually it would have to develop a better system. . . but
repeatedly failed to take action. The 30-day notice is finally
forcing action, but is also introducing complications because
of the short time allowed.
Moultrie decided that a sanitary landfill was the most practical
and economical alternative available. After evaluating several
possible sites, this hundred-acre tract was chosen. It is quite
close to the city. . . and has no drainage problems. Moultrie’s
buying it . . - will install access roads . . . and will eventually
move the city shops and garage to this location to centralize
public works operations.
But the old dump is going to be difficult to close because it is
infested with rats. If the daily supply of garbage were simply
cut off, they would leave and might invade nearby homes
searching for food. Therefore, the local health department will
undertake a systematic rat poisoning project at the old dump
before the new landfill is opened. Then the piles of refuse and
ashes will be compacted and covered with earth. Meanwhile,
the trash is getting higher and higher. Moultrie is “under
orders” . . . orders that are difficult to obey quickly.
As Mission 5000 encourages thousands of communities to
eliminate their dumps, the communities may encounter a
variety of problems. Let’s consider a few typical ones. Here a
small town has contracted with a local private operator to run
its landfill. He has plenty of equipment and personnel but the
techniques are new to him so he doesn’t know exactly what he
should be doing. He is careless in grading to handle runoff
water . . . and causes water pollution. He uses insufficient
earth cover . . . and litters the surrounding area. It takes a
knowledgeable operator to run a good landfill.
Meanwhile, a nearby community which has been dumping and
burning for years has decided to clean up. It will start its new
landfill on the same site as the dump. The city fathers naively
believe that if you dump garbage in a hole and cover it, you
have a sanitary landfill. So far, no detailed plan has been
drafted, no equipment purchased... and the mayor is still
quite vague about just how to do it.
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yline of Raleigh, North Carolina
pinning to landfill operation show-
ing dusty conditions
Large effective landfill operation
with dozer placing refuse and pan
bringing cover; wide expanse of
landfill
Burning dump showing refuse lying
around
Boonsboro, Maryland “Dump
Closed” sign, pinning to covered
dump
Woman shoveling trash out of a
pickup truck; close-up of dump;
wide shot of dump
Ref un, Alabama covered dump;
wide shot of landfill; operator at
work
Raleigh, North Carolina will never be called a Mission 5000
success story because this city of over 100,000 people has
been operating a sanitary landfill for 6 years. But, here too,
there are some practical problems: dust . . . and a sandy soil
which is not ideal for cover material. Raleigh’s landfill is
located close to the central city and adjacent to a new
freeway. The fill will bring a low area up to grade with the
highway and will be made into a park when completed.
Then, there is the case of the community that only went half
way. This city of 30,000 people obviously has an excellent
sanitary landfill.., good equipment... skilled personnel
adequate cover material . . . and plenty of space. But only part
of the city’s solid wastes are being landfilled. The officials just
can’t bring themselves to bury the big stuff.
Material that burns easily . . . tree limbs . . . leaves
furniture .. . and big items, such as refrigerators, are still being
hauled to the old dump. So, the city has all the expense of a
sanitary landfill and most of the nuisances of a burning dump.
It’s a state of mind, a habit. The city hasn’t yet grasped the
concept that it needs a total disposal system.
This old dump has been closed and covered. In attempting to
establish a new facility, the community could have requested
advice from the state solid waste officer.. . or the Regional
Representative of the Solid Waste Management Office of the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Instead, they did it on their own.. . opened a landfill which is
really little better than the old dump. Cover is applied only
when somebody gets around to it. State or federal engineers
would have made recommendations on equipment and
procedures... perhaps arranging for operator training to get
the project off to a good start.
If Mission 5000 is going to be a success, 5,000 communities
will have to get organized. Heflin, Alabama already has! This
huge tract is the site of an old burning dump... now
eliminated and covered. Today, Heflin and Clebume County
have undertaken an areawide effort by starting a sanitary
landfill. Jointly they bought equipment. The County hired an
operator who admitted he didn’t know a Landfill from a hole
in the ground. . . but he quickly learned the basic tricks of the
trade... a small landfill face... proper compaction of the
waste... daily, complete cover.., no wasted motion. The
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state solid waste officer calls him “a jewel”. Next, the county
will start a container collection system which promises to
reduce roadside dumping and allow small rural dumps to be
eliminated.
TrOy, Alabama in-town landfill Nearby, Troy, Alabama has closed its out-of-town dump and is
filling this huge gully only four blocks from City Hall. It used
to be called “Buzzard’s Roost” . . . and was 40 feet deep. The
key personality here is a City Councilman who is a civil
engineer by profession.
Interstate 75 at Add, Georgia When Interstate 75 was built through Adel, Georgia, the
contractors purchased rights to strip material from nearby
property.
Gravel pit As a result, this 20-acre gravel pit was left in the middle of an
industrial park.
Dozer working ianwiij Adel’s investigation showed that the pit was a good landfill
site. It took less than 4 months to put it into operation.
Burning dump by water Water pollution may result when drainage from open dumps
reaches surface streams or ground water supplies.
New landfill being built; pan and Here a new landfill is being constructed in an area where
zoom to storm drainage system geological studies indicated that surface water would leach
being installed through the buried refuse and carry pollutants into the ground
water. The solution is to install an adequate drainage system to
bypass surface water safely. Solid waste landfilling is an
engineering project . . . requiring careful design.
Frederick, Maryland landfill being If you think that landfill techniques are restricted to the sunny
operated in the snow south, think again. It is the accepted method in the colder
sections of the country also. Solid wastes are collected in all
weather and must be disposed of in the rain, snow . . . even
when intense cold makes it uncomfortable for operators
and freezes the surface of the ground.
Mobile, Alabama landfill operation Mobile, Alabama once had one of the worst dumps in the
country. Mobile now has a sanitary landfill which handles 400
tons a day. The cost is about $1 per ton including
amortization of equipment. But $1 per ton is infmitely greater
than nothing per ton.. . and the city budget is feeling the
pinch. Officials are reluctant to impose a special refuse
disposal tax.., even though this is standard practice
elsewhere. Instead they have increased charges to private
operators who pay fees to use the site.
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Conference of officials regarding
landfill approval
Lawton, Oklahoma dump; man
throws refuse out of truck; pan to
trash
City employee sets fire to the
dump; dump burns furiously;
distant shot showing smoke aao
the plains
Dump is locked closed; signs say
“closed; keep out”; charred remains
of dump; dozer comes in to dean
up
L. ndfill operation
Here a private operator is seeking approval to open his own
landfill to serve his commercial customers. He has obtained
land use rights and needs only official sanction to start
operating. The result of this conference was that he can
operate only if he lines the bottom of the pit with compacted
clay to prevent pollutants from oozing through to the sand
below. Public and private operations can be successfully
coordinated. The choice of whether a community wants to do
its own solid waste collection and disposal or contract it
out... is an economic and political question.., not a
technical one.
Lawton, Oklahoma... one of the first Mission 5000 success
stories. May there be thousands of them!
Lawton. .. last year! The people were starting to object. The
Comanche County Sarntarian was critical. The Oklahoma
Solid Waste Chief indicated that action was overdue. The
Environmental Protection Agency Regional Representative in
Dallas suggested corrective action. The pressure was beginning
to build. But, Lawton might have just drifted on for years if
the Oklahoma Legislature hadn’t stepped in. It passed a law
prohibiting open burning by cities of over 10,000 population
by January 1st, 1971. Lawton was put on notice. Members of
the City Council started to look at other landfill
operations... investigated possible sites... and authorized
the city attorney to obtain land purchase options.
On January 19th, just 19 days late, burning fmally ceased.
They would have made the deadline except for a few problems
which had to be solved systematically:
• The City Council considered six landfill sites and held
public hearings to select the best.
• Numerous nearby residents vigorously objected to
having a “dump” near them.
• The Sanitarian satisfied some of the objections by
establishing land fill specifications . . . operating
procedures. . . a fence. . . and beautification.
Finally, this site was selected. It is 2 miles south of the city
limits and is centrally located in the county. Other
problems... equipment was not delivered on time .. . good
operators were hard to find. But, today the Lawton Sanitary
Landfill, second in the state of Oklahoma, is operating well.
The site is expected to last 12 to 14 years. After completion, it
may be converted into an industrial or recreational park. Yes,
Lawton did it... made a quick switch from an obnoxious
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burning dump to a sound system of solid waste management.
Thousands of communities throughout America have a
comparable problem. With today’s increased emphasis on the
environment, each town, city and county will have to face up
to its true responsibility to be a good housekeeper.
Final ver being applied to big in just 2 years, Mission 5000 should eliminate most of
landfill at Washington County near America’s open dumps. The ultimate goal of the
si. Paui Minnesota Environmental Protection Agency is to provide all Americans
with acceptable solid waste systems.
It sounds easy... but actually it requires hard work...
and money. You pay for a clean environment with your
energy and your dollars. But, the question is.. . can we really
close those dumps? It depends on local leadership.. . not just
officials... but the citizens -themselves. Mission 5000 is a
“now thing”. Look around at your environment.., it’s later
than you think.
a633
* u1 co u,IlouTpR1wp OmcE 1g12— 759-397/135 7
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