Why is it a problem?

Garbage
is a huge problem because it consumes resources, pollutes our planet and doesn't ever go away.

Aside from all the wasted energy and valuable natural resources used to produce the materials we burn, dump and bury (often after only one or two uses!), waste disposal has significant impacts on the environment.

Burning or incinerating wastes causes air pollution and produces ashes that need to be carefully disposed. Landfills take up an enormous amount of land; they are expensive to operate and it's very difficult to set up new sites (no one wants a landfill in their backyard); they can leak toxic chemicals and contaminate ground water and soil; and they release poisonous gases that contribute to global warming. Even the collection of waste is harmful because trucks are needed to collect and transport the waste to the landfills and trucks need gasoline, which is a non-renewable fossil fuel.