This Is Paradise Puente Hill Landfill Summary

The world can be overwhelming yet simple, as time has passed and humans evolved to create new technology we find ourselves living in a world of by-products. In the article ”This is Paradise: Puente Hills Landfill, City of Industry, California” written by Jeanne Marie Laskas we are introduced to the concept that as humans have evolved so has our manufacturing, leaving, mountains of trash in our evolutionary wake. We meet few but important characters of the Puente Hill Landfill, simple men who share a consistent sense of pride within their occupation. We are taken on a journey through history, concepts of trash collection we find that some of our ancestors were brutally smart at protecting their cities and future civilizations. Creating rules …show more content…
Our predecessors in the last hundred years have tried everything from ignoring the trash in the streets that caused unknown illnesses to forms of burning and burying the waste which both caused significant problems on their own. Not until recent years did our technology catch up to the overwhelming manufacturing of debris. By trial and errors, science has found new ways to capitalize on the emissions that escape from landfills. We have created a symbiotic relationship with how trash is processed, producing countless amounts of energy for our country. Laskas focuses on the pride of our up and coming country, yet the amount of trash that flows in on a daily basis is consistently overwhelming. Humans still can’t follow the rules of disposal, they sneak in illegal Substances that hurt the environment, toxic elements that infect the surroundings. As technology and landfill science battle to fight these lawbreakers, landfill employees fight their own individual battle of creating a safe habitat. They focus on small debris flying away, animals digging through piles of junk, the safety, and care of one …show more content…
The old saying don’t put off tomorrow, what you can do today has lost its general meaning. Our culture focuses on a carpe diem mentality, create and get rich. The more you have, the more you replace the old with new the better off you are in societal standards. Thrift is used and full of diseases, you need to buy new and not stop. This unfortunate cascade or creating trash to become trash has taken a toll on our planet. Laskas mentions in her research that individuals create these mountains of garbage, some in their own communities and yet the thought of looking at it or smelling it causes anger. Residents don’t want to be reminded of what they have caused, it leads me to think there is a form of guilt when we are reminded of our planets need for us to be more careful. Sanitation is one of the harder jobs out there in my own opinion . You touch and deal with something that society has come to believe is infectious. Garbage men are not paid nearly what they deserve, they are looked upon as lepers the bottom of society. The country’s mentality on sanitation is lacking, environmental disasters or terroristic actions that cause a city to stop running only reminds us of the duty that a trash man has. We take for granted the ability to open presents on Christmas with beautiful packages that last for days and they are sent off to live a lifetime in the