hundred-year cup
n.— «Instead, he bought a tire cutter. The cutter slices the tires into two half-circles. By breaking the circle, the tires don’t trap methane gas, so they stay buried. According to Staley, the U shape has a secondary benefit. When tires fall into the landfill with the “U” facing upward, he explained, they create what is referred to as a “100-year cup” that prevents substances from leaching downward. It’s the next best thing to a lined landfill, he said.» —“Discarded tires pose challenges” by Linda Halstead-Acharya Billings Gazette (Mont.) Oct. 4, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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