Up State N.Y. Environmental Issues, Mountains of Trash

This area of N.Y. now has what they might call Mountains. The citizens of this area have other names for these new neighbors. It is a lovely photo with the blue sky and green fields but those "mountains" are made of trash that is sent up by train or truck from N.Y. City to this area to be dumped and made into Mountains. The citizens of this area are angry because of the smell.  Could this be leaking into their underground water also? No good for their environment.

I have heard that in some States the trash is  made into winter skiing slopes, but not here, not yet or maybe never. 

It is amazing the amount of trash of all sorts. Built one upon the other, buried in the dirt and bulldozed over one layer at a time.

Close up the fields are beautiful, and green with lovely little wild flowers blowing in the breeze.  These farms have been left, and I suppose the land has been sold to make more "Mountains of Trash". Would you want this as a neighbor? What do we do with all the disposable items that we use daily? In Calif. we now have to pay for plastic bags at the grocery store or bring our own. We have a big selection of various fabric bags in each of our cars. The stores plastic ones are for sale for an additional 10 cents per bag. These are sturdier plastic and are supposed to be used many times. However are these heavier bags even worse for the environment?

When we  drive to town in Calif. we pass thru open fields of cattle. Sometimes we see these plastic bags hanging on the fences or laying on the ground. The cows eat these bags, and they can not digest them.
It is a sad situation especially now that the bags are of a stronger plastic. Where is the benefit? Is there another choice?

Most of the States have very clean highways, sadly in Calif. the highways are littered with paper and other items. I know, I was part of a volunteer group to keep the mountain highways clean by walking and picking up trash.  I will not even go list what items are found and had to be put into bags, it would be embarrassing.  Even in our area that is prone to fires, I found many parts of cigarettes that had been thrown from car windows. The situation is very sad.