Long-Term Problems of Garbage Disposal

Morris’ article brought to my attention some very interesting facts. It stunned me to learn how our garbage gets transported from one city in the United States to another city in the United States and in some cases from the United States to other countries.

I was unaware of the distance traveled by our garbage, as I think most people were before reading this piece or before hearing about the wandering garbage barge. I found it hard and somewhat odd to believe that a city like Philadelphia will actually dump its own garbage in Panama. American garbage seems to travel more than the average American.

I agree with Morris’ suggestion that there should be legislation requiring that waste be disposed of within 10 miles of its origin. This would make people more aware of their disposal habits, by making them responsible for their own share of garbage. By becoming more aware, people would try to produce less waste than what is produced now.

I feel that there are many people out there who have no idea of our waste disposal problem. More should be said and written about this problem to make the public aware of its seriousness. We must first face the problem before we can solve it. And I hope we solve this problem before the ocean becomes our biggest waste disposal site.

JULIA GARCIA

La Verne