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:''For other uses see, [[water treatment]] and [[Land reclamation]].'' |
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{{wiktionary|Dump}} |
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[[Image:Albury landfill.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Albury, Surrey|Albury]] landfill, [[Surrey]], [[England]]]] |
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A '''landfill''', also known as a '''austin''' or '''torppey''' (and historically as a '''[[midden]]'''), is a site for the disposal of [[waste]] materials by burial and is the oldest form of [[list of solid waste treatment technologies|waste treatment]]. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of organized [[waste disposal]] and remain so in many places around the world. |
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Landfills may include internal waste disposal sites (where a producer of waste carries out their own waste disposal at the place of production) as well as sites used by many producers. Many landfills are also used for other waste management purposes, such as the temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or processing of waste material (sorting, treatment, or recycling). |
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A landfill also may refer to ground that has been filled in with [[soil]] and [[rock (geology)|rocks]] instead of waste materials, so that it can be used for a specific purpose, such as for building houses. Unless they are stabilized, these areas may experience severe shaking or [[earthquake liquefaction|liquefaction]] of the ground in a large [[earthquake]]. |
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==Site construction requirements== |
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The construction of a landfill requires a staged approach. Landfill designers are primarily concerned with the viability of a site. To be commercially and environmentally viable a landfill must be constructed in accord with specific requirements, which are related to: |
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*'''Location''' |
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**Easy access to transport by road |
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**Transfer stations if rail network is preferred |
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**Land value |
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**Cost of meeting government requirements, such as the [[Environment Agency]] in England and Wales |
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**Location of community served |
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**Type of construction (more than one may be used at single site) |
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***Pit - filling existing holes in the ground, typically left behind by mining |
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***Canyon - filling in naturally occurring valleys or canyons |
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***Mound - piling the waste up above the ground |
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*'''Stability''' |
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**Underlying geology |
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**Nearby earthquake faults |
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**Water table |
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austiinnnnsduogfbwileurghweruiogqifyioq3ufgpqt9iuq3gwhof capacity is based on, |
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**Density of the wastes |
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**Amount of intermediate and [[daily cover]] |
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**Amount of settlement that the waste will undergo following tipping |
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**Thickness of capping |
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**Construction of lining and [[drainage]] layers. |
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*'''Protection of soil and water through''': |
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**Installation of liner and collection systems. |
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**[[Storm water control]] |
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**[[Leachate]] management. |
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**Landfill gas management. |
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*'''[[Nuisance]]s and hazards management.''' |
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*'''Costs''' |
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**Feasibility studies |
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**Site after care |
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**Site investigations (costs involved may make small sites uneconomical). |
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==Operations== |
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Typically, in non hazardous waste landfills, in order to meet predefined [[specifications]], [[wikt:technique|techniques]] are applied by which the wastes are: |
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#Confined to as small an area as possible. |
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#Compacted to reduce their volume. |
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#Covered (usually daily) with layers of soil. |
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[[Image:Landfill Hawaii.jpg||thumbnail|300px|right|Landfill operation. Note that the area being filled is a single, well-defined "cell" and that a rubberized [[landfill liner]] is in place (exposed on the left) to prevent contamination by leachates migrating downward through the underlying geological formation.]] |
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During landfill operations the waste collection vehicles are weighed at a weigh-bridge on arrival and their load is inspected for wastes that do not accord with the landfill’s waste acceptance criteria. Afterwards, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front where they unload their load. After loads are deposited, compactors or dozers are used to spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles pass through the wheel cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to weighbridge in order to be weighed without their load. Through the weighing process, the daily incoming waste tonnage can be calculated and listed in databases. In addition to trucks, some landfills may be equipped to handle railroad containers. The use of 'rail-haul' permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips. |
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Typically, in the working face, the compacted waste is covered with soil daily. Alternative waste cover materials are several sprayed on foam products and temporary blankets. Blankets can be lifted into place with tracked excavators and then removed the following day prior to waste placement. Chipped wood and chemically 'fixed' bio-solids, may also be used as an alternate daily cover. The space that is occupied daily by the compacted waste and the cover material is called daily cell. Waste compaction is critical to extending the landfill life. Factors such as waste compressibility, waste layer thickness and the number of passes of the compactor over the waste affect the waste densities. |
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==Land reclamation== |
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[[Image:PHaerial.jpg|thumb|210px|Aerial view of the [[Puente Hills Landfill]], with the [[San Gabriel Valley]] in the distance.]] |
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As [[overpopulation|human overcrowding of developed areas]] intensified during the 20th century, it has become important to develop land re-use strategies for completed landfills. Some of the most common usages are for parks, [[golf course]]s and other sports fields. Increasingly, however, office buildings and industrial uses are made on a completed landfill. In these latter uses, [[methane]] capture is customarily carried out to minimize explosive hazard within the building. |
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An example of a [[Class A office space|Class A office building]] constructed over a landfill is the [[Dakin Building]] at [[Sierra Point]], [[Brisbane, California]]. The underlying fill was deposited from 1965 to 1985, mostly consisting of construction debris from [[San Francisco]] and some municipal wastes. [[Aerial photograph]]s prior to 1965 show this area to be [[tideland]]s of the San Francisco Bay. A clay cap was constructed over the debris prior to building approval.<ref>Paul B. Awosika and Marc Papineau, ''Phase One [[Environmental Site Assessment]], 7000 Marina Boulevard, Brisbane, California'', prepared for [[Argentum International]] by Certified.Engineering & Testing Company, Boston, Massachusetts, July 15, 1993</ref> |
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Another strategy for landfill reclamation is the incineration of landfill trash at high temperature via the [[Plasma arc waste disposal|plasma-arc gasification process]], which is currently used at two facilities in [[Japan]], and will be used at a planned facility in [[St. Lucie County]], [[Florida]].<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-09-fla-county-trash_x.htm USATODAY.com - Florida county plans to vaporize landfill trash<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==Impacts== |
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A number of adverse impacts occur from landfill operations. These impacts can vary: fatal accidents (e.g., [[waste picker|scavengers]] buried under waste piles); [[infrastructure]] damage (e.g., damage to access roads by heavy vehicles); [[pollution]] of the local [[natural environment|environment]] (such as contamination of [[groundwater]] and/or [[aquifers]] by leakage and residual [[soil contamination]] during landfill usage, as well as after landfill closure); offgassing of [[methane]] generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area;) harbouring of disease [[vector (biology)|vector]]s such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills, which are common in [[Third-world countries]]; injuries to [[wildlife]]<ref>[http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/trash.htm Wildlife Injuries] Noyes, K (2006) Clean-Up Your Trash, Charity Guide</ref>; and simple nuisance problems (e.g., dust, odour, [[vermin]], or [[noise pollution]]). |
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[[Environmental noise]] and dust are generated from vehicles accessing a landfill as well as from working face operations. These impacts are best to intercept at the planning stage where access routes and landfill geometrics can be used to mitigate such issues. Vector control is also important, but can be managed reasonably well with the daily cover protocols. |
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Most modern landfills in industrialized countries are operated with controls to attempt manage problems such as these. Analysis of common landfill operational problems are available in [http://loma.civil.duth.gr]. |
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Some local authorities have found it difficult to locate new landfills. Communities may charge a fee or levy in order to discourage waste and/or recover the costs of site operations. Some landfills are operated for profit as commercial businesses. Many landfills, however, are publicly operated and funded. |
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====Impacts to people near landfills in the U.S.==== |
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Communities near landfills are increasingly facing health consequences from air and [[water contamination]], particularly from landfills that are poorly constructed and operated. Environmental contamination from landfills is entering waterways and underground aquifer at alarming rates. Liner breaches are not uncommon. Liners can delay contamination but they do not prevent it. With large amounts of toxic [[solid waste]] entering landfills today, ground and air contamination pose a significant threat to public health for those living within three to five miles of a landfill, and will eventually degrade the environment far beyond those limits.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} |
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Poorly constructed and operated landfills persist with leachate breaks, uncovered trash, and unchecked banned hazardous compounds. Federal laws to protect the public in Sec. 4001, Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) [http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/solid/laws.html] |
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can be unenforceable to citizens without adequate legal funding. The [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] generally relies on the states to enforce their own operating permits and federal laws. If state agencies are not aggressive, violations can worsen, multiplying negative environmental impacts exponentially. There are some notable recorded violations in the U.S., such as for a [http://wasteage.com/news/Hawaii_landfill_violations/] landfill in Hawaii that was fined $2.8 million in 2006 for operating violations, but this is not common. |
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==Regional practice== |
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===United Kingdom=== |
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{{main|Landfill in the UK}} |
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Landfilling practices in the UK have had to change in recent years to meet the challenges of the European [[Landfill Directive]]. The UK now imposes landfill tax upon [[biodegradable waste]] which is landfilled. In addition to this the [[Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme]] has been established for local authorities to trade landfill quotas. |
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===United States=== |
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In the U.S., landfills are regulated by the state's environmental agency that establishes minimum guidelines; however, none of these standards may fall below those set by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA); such as was the case with the [[Fresh Kills Landfill]] in [[Staten Island]], which is claimed by many to not only be the world's largest landfill, but the world's largest manmade structure. |
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The [[Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill]], opened in [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[California]] in 1937, is considered to have been the first modern, sanitary landfill in the [[United States]], innovating the techniques of trenching, compacting, and the daily covering of waste with soil. It has been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]], underlining the significance of waste disposal in urban society. |
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Before the advent of modern landfills in America, most Americans lived in sparsely populated rural farming communities and most burned their garbage. Due to environmental and safety concerns, burning garbage by civilians has been outlawed by most municipalities and can only be performed by landfill managers or people who have obtained permits from the municipality. |
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More information on landfill history in the United States can be found at [http://www.forester.net/msw_0001_history.html]. |
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The [[Resource Conservation and Recovery Act]] is a US federal law that is designed to protect the public from harm caused by waste disposal. The EPA runs a Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), a voluntary assistance program that helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and use of [[landfill gas]] as an energy resource.[http://www.epa.gov/lmop/overview.htm] |
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U.S. landfills consist of 40% to 50% paper waste, 20% to 30% construction debris, and 1.2% disposable diapers. <ref>National Geographic magazine, September 1993</ref> |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Stockisland.jpg|A land fill in the [[Florida Keys]] |
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</gallery> |
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==Alternatives== |
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{{see also|List of solid waste treatment technologies}} |
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The obvious alternative to landfills are [[waste reduction]] and [[recycling]] strategies. |
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Secondary to not creating waste, there are various alternatives to landfills. In the late 20th century, alternative methods to waste disposal to landfill and [[incineration]] have begun to gain acceptance. [[Anaerobic digestion]], [[composting]], [[mechanical biological treatment]], [[pyrolysis]] and [[plasma arc gasification]] have all began to establish themselves in the market. |
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In recent years, some countries, such as [[Germany]], [[Austria]], and [[Switzerland]], have banned the disposal of untreated waste in landfills. In these countries, only the ashes from [[incineration]] or the stabilised output of [[mechanical biological treatment]] plants may still be deposited. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Bioreactor landfill]] |
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*[[Daily cover]] |
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*[[Decompiculture]] |
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*[[Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance]] or HELP model |
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*[[Landfill gas monitoring]] |
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*[[Landfill mining and reclamation]] |
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*[[Landfill tax]] |
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*[[List of solid waste treatment technologies]] |
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*[[Mechanical biological treatment]] |
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*[[Midden]] |
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*[[Solid Waste Association of North America]] |
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*[[Tell|Tel]] - an ancient waste disposal method, in one respect the opposite of a landfill |
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*[[Waste management]] |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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*{{cite web | title= Council Directive 1999/31/EC of [[26 April]] [[1999]], on the landfill of waste | url= http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/1999/l_182/l_18219990716en00010019.pdf | accessmonthday = August 29 | accessyear=2005 }} |
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*{{cite web | title= The Landfill Operation Management Advisor Web Based Expert System | url=http://loma.civil.duth.gr | accessmonthday = August 29 | accessyear=2005 }} |
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*{{cite web | author= H. Lanier Hickman Jr. and Richard W. Eldredge | title= Part 3: The Sanitary Landfill | work= A Brief History of Solid Waste Management in the US During the Last 50 Years | url= http://www.forester.net/msw_0001_history.html | accessmonthday=August 29 | accessyear=2005}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/1999/l_182/l_18219990716en00010019.pdf EU definition & regulations] |
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*[http://www.swana.org Solid Waste Association of North America] |
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* [http://www.chemvironcarbon.com/en/applications/effluent-water-treatment/landfill Activated Carbon Landfill Leachate Treatment]instead of recycling the waste is just left to rot away which sometimes can take 100's of years |
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[[Category:Soil contamination]] |
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[[Category:Landfill]] |
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[[Category:Waste management]] |
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[[fa:محل دفن مواد زايد جامد]] |
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[[fr:Décharge (déchet)]] |
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[[nl:Vuilnishoop]] |
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[[ja:最終処分場]] |
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[[no:Søppelfylling]] |
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[[oc:Descarga]] |
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[[pl:Składowisko odpadów]] |
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[[pt:Aterro sanitário]] |
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[[ru:Свалка]] |
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[[sr:Депонија]] |
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[[fi:Kaatopaikka]] |
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[[uk:Звалище]] |
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[[zh:垃圾堆填區]] |
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