Across the UK and Europe, thousands of landfills sit in risky locations including flood zones, eroding coastlines, drinking water catchment areas and conservation sites – posing a threat to rivers, soil, and ecosystems.
This new data comes from the first Europe-wide mapping effort by ITV News, Watershed Investigations, and Investigate Europe.
Europe may have up to 500,000 landfills, most built before modern pollution controls existed. More than 22,000 are in the UK alone.
Modern sites are usually safe, but older ones may not be, and there are concerns that toxic chemicals could be leaking from them into our environment.
Climate change is making the problem worse.
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