Volcanoes might be one of the scariest things that Earth has to offer, with the massive geologic shapes being one of the unstoppable forces of nature on our planet.
But with all the lava and magma that sits stewing inside them, wouldn't it be worth using them to benefit our lives?
It has been previously suggested by some that a volcano could make for an efficient way to dispose of our rubbish - though there are several reasons as to why it wouldn't work.
Seeing as a human would quickly become engulfed in flames, with the lack of oxygen killing you as you fall towards the lava, it is logical to think that waste would also simply be disintegrated upon impact.
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It turns out that it's a lot more complicated than that.
Americans alone generate 254 million tons of rubbish every year - though the world altogether contributes a shocking 2.12 billion tons of waste annually.
So hard would it be to dispose of some of that into the fiery, deep structures that are volcanoes?
They're more dangerous than you think
I know, it seems like common knowledge but it is a very dangerous idea to throw things into a volcano like its a garbage chute.
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Couple how unstable and dangerous they are with how difficult they can be to reach, and you have your first problem.
Difficulty in finding a 'fit' volcano
Firstly, the transport that would be involved in transferring this much rubbish to these often secluded and hard-to-get-to volcanoes may be more detrimental to the environment than anything else.
There are only 1500 active volcanoes worldwide, though they must be a specific type in order to work at all - you'd need a shield volcano, which erupts slowly and has lava lakes, which spread out to Earth without any dramas.
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And according to What If?, unfortunately, stratovolcanoes are more common, the ones known for shooting lava into the sky and being incredibly violent.
Scientists have already tried it
If we were to find a suitable volcano, surely we could dispose of it then?
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The vent of a volcano is, obviously, scorching hot and actually full of harmful, poisonous gases, as well as the lava and rocks it spews several metres out and around the area.
But if you're still in the belief that it can work, it's unfortunately been proven by Ethiopian researchers that the method will cause more harm than anything else.
In 2002, the group threw a 30kg bag of rubbish into the lava lake of a volcano to explosive (literally) results.
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The lakes are unstable, so breaking it with something cold like a rubbish bag caused a number of explosions giving off pressurised and acidic explosions.
And if that's not enough proof, rock falls into volcanoes in Hawaii have caused lava spews up to 85 metres in the air, and it is estimated that disposing of major amounts of rubbish would also result in this.
It would harm the environment
The air pollution cause from burning all of our different types of waste without filters would be unprecedented, and all materials won't break down in lava either.
This means that the remnants in the lava could erupt out and contaminate surrounding areas, angering local councils and governments.
I guess nuclear waste is a no-go, then.
Again, the transport required to ship the amount of rubbish to these volcanoes would probably undo the environmental good that was thought to be done with the disposal method.
But overall, it looks like disposing of your rubbish in a volcano might be one of the worst things you can do to help the environment.
Featured Image Credit: WhatIf/YouTubeTopics: Science, Environment