Sanitary Landfills
- Sanitary landfills are designed to control and mitigate potential
surface and underground contamination, reduce threats to sanitation
workers, mitigate air pollutant emissions, and enable the collection of
landfill gas (LFG) as a potential energy source.
- A modern sanitary landfill is a disposal site where all of the following
practices are systematically implemented:
Use of liners and leachate and gas collection systems to control or
prevent adverse environmental impacts and their subsequent
impact on public health and safety.
Compaction of the wastes to conserve land resources.
Application of cover material on a daily basis to control the risk of
hazards from exposed wastes.
Design and operation of the landfill to control for and minimize
human settlement in and close to the landfill.
Groundwater monitoring to detect any potential leaks in the liners.
- A well-established approach in the long-term is to implement all
these practices in a systematic manner.
- However, implementing all of these practices may be technologically
and economically challenging in some developing countries.
- Therefore, the short-term goal is to implement as many of them to the
greatest extent possible under existing circumstances.
- The most important goal is the prevention of negative impacts on
public health and the environment.
- The best practices for all aspects of sanitary landfilling, include how
to consider waste composition, landfill costs, siting, design, operating
and managing the site, and closure and post-closure.
i. Waste Composition
- The composition (type and quantity) of solid waste buried in the
landfill is an important determinant of the types, quantities, and
characteristics of the by products emitted to the air and ground.
- These emissions occur as a consequence of the processes occurring
within the landfill.
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- Designing sanitary landfills to handle the quantity and types of waste
intended to be disposed of at the site should be a well-established
approach.
- Cities have found it important to consider the following waste-related
variables when planning sanitary landfills:
Whether a city has quality data on the quantity and
composition of the waste to be disposed of in the landfill, which
is distinct from the overall composition of the waste generated
by the population the city serves. During the planning process,
the city determines the rate of solid waste flow into the disposal
site, and identifies and evaluates all factors that influence the
flow-over time (current and future rates) because the landfill
will operate for several years.
Current and potential future waste diversion programs (e.g., for
organic waste or recyclables), and their impacts on waste
quantities and types disposed of at the site.
Whether the waste stream is likely to include hazardous wastes
or wastes that pose specific risks when disposed of that should
be treated separately (e.g., medical wastes). These wastes
should be considered “unacceptable” at a sanitary landfill.
ii. Landfill Costs
- It is important to understand from the onset the costs of designing,
building, operating, and monitoring a sanitary landfill during its
operational, closure, and post-closure life stages.
- Without a clear understanding of these costs and how they will be
paid, cities face the risk of having to cancel the landfill project before
it is complete (e.g., due to insufficient financing) or close the landfill
after it is built (e.g., if operations prove too costly).
- Cities also need to reserve sufficient funding to cover the costs of
maintaining and monitoring a landfill after it has been closed;
inadequate post-closure maintenance can result in the site failing to
contain the waste and associated by products.
iii. Site Selection
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- Several factors are important to consider when selecting a site for a
landfill, including geological and non-geological factors.
Geological and hydrological elements
Geologic and hydrologic information can be used to select areas
that are more favourable to landfill development, and to assist
in designing the landfill to minimize the potential for
environmental contamination.
Non-geological considerations
Demographic and political considerations
Cities should consider demographic and political factors,
such as boundaries, property ownership and use rights,
potential reactions from the local population, and
potential impacts to marginalized populations.
Potential landfill capacity
Sanitary landfills are typically designed to
accommodate many years of waste disposal.
Cities typically calculate the desired volume (or
capacity) of the landfill based on the amount of waste
generated per person per year, population size,
anticipated population and economic growth,
alternative waste treatment processes, and the number
of years the landfill is intended to be in operation.
Transportation distances
The further a landfill site is from the point where the waste is
generated and collected, the higher the costs of waste transport.
If the landfill is remote from the collection area, cities have found
transfer stations helpful for consolidating waste from collection
vehicles into a bulk transport system.
Closure and Post-Closure Operations
When a landfill reaches maximum capacity, filling operations cease, and
the site is “capped” with a final cover system. The period of time during
which the landfill is subsequently maintained and monitored is referred
to as the “post-closure period.” The activities listed below are broadly
categorized into closure and post-closure phases.
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Closure of the landfill
This involves the following activities:
- Cessation of waste delivery for disposal by burial at the landfill
- Preparation of the site to receive the final cover system or cap
- Installation of the final cover system
- Re-examination of the leachate management system to assess
performance
- Provisions for gas collection and control
- Improvements or repairs to drainage systems, erosion control
features, access roads, etc.
- Restoration of disturbed peripheral areas
- Legal restrictions to prohibit the reuse of the closed landfill area for
certain types of activities.
Post-closure activities at the landfill
These include cover system maintenance, leachate management, gas
management, erosion and sedimentation control, surface water
management, and site access and security. In addition, post-closure
activities should also include environmental monitoring and special
provisions for future use of the site.
Closure and post-closure care are important activities in the lifecycle of a
landfill because they complete the requirements for environmental
management of the facility. Generally, post-closure care should continue
until the solid waste has stabilized to a level at which it is no longer
hazardous to public health and safety or to environmental quality. This
stabilization process can last several decades.
