Knowingly Poisoning Landfills...Financial Liability?

By Joel Albrizio

Adlife Became Bad-Adz Digital...We Chose Digital As An Informed Environmental Decision

There is no debate, we all share environmental concerns. While some more and some less we all realize the environment is something that deserves at least some level of concern.

Once we reviewed the pros and cons of newsprint and its perils digital was the clear path. Printed ads, all of the inks and chemicals involved, paper disposal issues, digital just made more sense. The digital world would continue to grow with greater marketing penetration every year.

Bad-Adz eMails every zip code in the United States. 100% saturation with a less expensive responsible alternative for the environment.

Carbon Footprint...Methane Gas...The Byproduct Of Burying Ads In Landfills

Here is the issue: During the life of a tree the tree absorbs carbon and other toxins improving the environment. So for decades a tree silently cleans the air by removing airborne toxins around all of us.

Then the tree is harvested and turned into a paper product. In simple terms the newsprint grocers use to print and distribute weekly ads. All of this so a potential consumer can review weekly specials for a minute or two and then disposed.

When newsprint is buried in a landfill, its carbon footprint shifts from a simple paper trail to a complex environmental issue. Paper is essentially stored carbon from trees and it was just buried in the ground local to all of us.

Simply Put Decades Of A Carbon Cleansing Tree Is Now Released Into The Environment

An even more serious concern is Methane. Landfills are anaerobic (oxygen free) environments. When bacteria break down the cellulose in newsprint without oxygen, they produce methane rather than and in some instances as well as carbon dioxide.

There is a reason so many emails end with a request to save the environment and ask that this email not be printed.

Forward Looking Potential Liability & Possible Litigation?

So the facts are known and have been for some time. Does the any retailer using widespread printed ads face long term liability now aware of the environmental hazards?

While store copies can be recycled properly under the stores control any retailer mass mailing the printed ad is seemingly environmentally irresponsible.

Is it the right move to wait until retailer liability for potential environmental hazard becomes "A Thing"? Especially those who sell food?

Print advocate groups will always use the sell its all the same. Common sense would suggest otherwise.

Think about what a one minute read of a printed ad means well longer than that one minute for all of us.

This is an article of opinion.