What if humans dumped trash into volcanoes?

(Dan Tri) - Lava in a volcano can burn everything in just a few seconds. But if all of humanity dumped trash in there, would the planet be cleaner?

Sounds reasonable, but the reality is… a nightmare.

Garbage is a global problem with more than 2 billion tons of household waste produced each year. In an effort to find a radical solution, many people have asked: why not take advantage of volcanic craters that are hotter than 1,000 degrees Celsius to burn all the garbage?

According to What If , the idea seems feasible at first glance: high temperatures can incinerate plastics, rubber, light metals, and organic waste in a split second. However, science quickly pointed out a harsh truth: lava, although hot, is not an “unlimited destruction machine.”

In an effort to find a radical solution, many people have asked: Why not take advantage of volcanic craters that are hotter than 1,000 degrees Celsius to burn all the trash? (Photo: Getty).

The amount of global trash is so enormous that no single volcano can “swallow” it all. Not to mention that transporting trash from all over the world to several active volcanoes is a logistical challenge that is nearly impossible, expensive, and dangerous.

The air will be more toxic, volcanoes may explode

Even if the transportation hurdles are overcome, the prospect of “throwing trash into a volcano” still poses a host of environmental and geological hazards. Unlike modern industrial incinerators equipped with air scrubbing systems, volcanoes spew toxic gases straight into the atmosphere.

Plastic waste and synthetic compounds, when burned under uncontrolled conditions, can produce dioxins and furans, which are potent carcinogens, along with large amounts of greenhouse gases such as CO₂ and methane.

If applied on a global scale, the amount of toxic gases produced would exceed the atmosphere's ability to clean itself, exacerbating climate change.

Not stopping there, dumping cold, wet trash into a boiling lava lake could cause explosive chain reactions.

A 2002 experiment in Ethiopia recorded a small explosion when a research team threw a 30kg bag of trash into a volcano. Steam rising from the trash mixed with lava created a huge pressure increase, pushing the volcano to an unstable state and prone to sudden eruptions.

In addition, toxic substances such as heavy metals, industrial chemicals, and even radioactive substances will not disappear if thrown into a volcano. They can seep into the magma layer and spread when the volcano is active, causing widespread pollution beyond all geographical boundaries.

The solution lies not in volcanoes, but in people.

The idea of ​​using volcanoes as “natural landfills” was once considered by NASA but was quickly dismissed. The reason is clear: it does not solve the root of the problem, but only makes the environmental situation worse and out of control.

The real solution lies with each individual: reduce consumption, recycle, develop biodegradable materials, promote a circular economy and control waste from production.

By reducing the amount of waste from the start, people won't have to resort to "risky" solutions like leaving it all to lava.

Volcanoes are not “the Earth’s garbage disposal machine”. On the contrary, if handled incorrectly, they can become “poisonous gas bombs” waiting to explode. In the fight against waste pollution, human thinking and behavior are not lava but the most important weapons.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/se-ra-sao-neu-nhan-loai-do-rac-vao-nui-lua-20250905070557818.htm