The increasing amount of waste being produced around the world is a serious problem and a major threat to the environment. Animals are losing their homes to make room for landfills, and disease-ridden vermin like rats are moving in. Trash incinerators emit carbon dioxide, adding to the already critical buildup of greenhouse gases and exacerbating global warming. We’re polluting water sources and wild environments with our careless litter, making once natural habitats hostile for our precious wildlife. This is only part of the problem. Basically, it comes down to this: we’re producing more garbage than the Earth can handle, and we’re running out of places to put it.