or at least avoiding that very process is a worthless endeavor.

In the arid west, you can dig up a 75 year old newspaper and read it. In the the wetter climates, the stuff decomposes with the moisture and the black muck, along with contaminants like batteries, seep into the water table. There is a name for that black muck. It is called Leacheate. Nasty stuff.

We don't do everything well, but there is a lot we could do better, regardless of anyone's politics, when it comes to being good stewards of the beautiful earth that God gave us.