Figure 21-16 (p. 576) lists the advantages and disadvantages
of using sanitary landfills to dispose of solid
waste. According to the EPA, all landfills eventually
leak, passing both the effects of contamination and
cleanup costs on to future generations. In the United
States, some people were shocked to learn that radioactive
materials from nuclear weapons facilities run
by the Department of Energy were being dumped into
regular landfills with little tracking of their dispersal,
despite intense public opposition.