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Dealing with waste
Part I - Landfills
D18
Explain the short- and long-term
impacts of landfills and incineration of
waste materials on the quality of the
environment.
There are
3,091 active
sanitary
landfills in the
U.S. and over
10,000 old
municipal
landfills
(rubbish pits).
The “Throwaway Age”
According to social critic Vance
Packard, we are living in the
“Throwaway Age,” the name given to
an era where every person in an
industrialized nation produces about
four pounds of waste each day
Freudenrich, Craig C., Ph.D. “How Landfills Work.” 2003. http://people.howstuffworks.com/landfill.htm.
Vocabulary
 Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW):
trash (or garbage) generated by
people and industry.
 Landfill: a site for the disposal of
waste materials by burial.
 Transfer station: a place where
municipal solid waste is collected prior
to the waste going to the landfill.
 Per capita: per person.
Vocabulary
Leachate: the liquid that seeps from the
MSW in a landfill, which may be toxic.
 Vector: any animal or pest attracted to
the garbage in landfills. They may spread
disease.
 Groundwater: the water that is under
the ground. This water is commonly used
as a drinking water source. It can be
contaminated by leachate.

Rubbish Pit vs. Sanitary Landfill
Rubbish pits contain no liners.
Sanitary landfills include groundwater protection.
Anatomy of a
Landfill
Modern sanitary landfills
are carefully engineered
structures designed to
isolate garbage from
nearby water, soil, wildlife,
and people.
How is a Sanitary Landfill
made?
The cavities are dug out of
the ground and then the walls
are sealed with layers of clay
and coated with plastic to
prevent groundwater
contamination from
wastewater that accumulates.
The Liner
Note the overlapping seams!
Today's landfills are designed to stay
dry inside, except for liquids that
ooze from some garbage, and
rainwater that trickles through. As
water trickles through a landfill, it
dissolves chemicals and other
particles, creating a liquid called
"leachate."
There are four critical
elements in a secure landfill:
• a bottom liner
• a leachate collection system
• a gas recovery system and a cover
• the natural hydrogeologic setting
The natural setting can be selected to
minimize the possibility of wastes escaping to
groundwater beneath a landfill. The three
other elements must be engineered. Each of
these elements is critical to success.
Cross-Section of a
Landfill
What is done with the Leachate?
The state-of-the-art system,
constructed at the bottom of the landfill,
has a special double-liner to prevent
leachate leakage. The contained
leachate is run through pipes to aboveground storage tanks and hauled for
treatment and disposal at a large
regional wastewater treatment plant.
Even though there are 2 liners that overlap
to keep leachate from leaking out there is
always that slim chance. So to help protect
the public, landfills are also designed with:
•detection meters between the liners
which are monitored continuously
•monitoring wells around the site
which are sampled quarterly to test
the groundwater quality
The Capping of a FULL Landfill
Hartford Landfill
So...landfill garbage degrades,
right?
Not really. Landfills are mostly
anaerobic. Without the oxygen and
water needed to break down organic
materials, all garbage decays very
slowly in a landfill. This means our
garbage will probably be around for
a very long time.
40 Yr-old Newspaper found in Landfill
Even food does NOT degrade
Amount of Trash Thrown in
Landfills (by weight)
Plastics
Plastics can take between 200-400 years to degrade.
Only 3% of it is currently recycled.
Yard Waste
“Green Waste” (leaves, twigs, Christmas trees)
can be shredded and used as mulch or composted.
Paper &
Cardboard
Nationwide, paper & cardboard account for 41 % of
all municipal solid waste. Only about 34.5 % is
recycled in the U.S.
Metal
Recycling aluminum reduces both air and water
pollution by more than 95% due to less energy needed
to mine & process it. Only 38% of cans are recycled.
Glass
Glass was one of the first to be recycled and continues
to lead all others in % recycled. It is the easiest
recycled material to use and is the most cost efficient.
Food Waste
15.8 million tons of food goes to waste in the U.S.
every year. Vegetable & plant matter can be
composted (NOT meat or fats) and used for mulch.
What short-term problems are
caused by landfills?
 Trucks
used to collect and move
trash both locally and at the landfill
are noisy.
 Landfills are unsightly.
 Landfills and garbage trucks stink!
Trucks Moving Trash
What long-term problems are
caused by landfills?
Several types of problems are caused
– Water Problems
– Soil Problems
– Environmental Problems
Water Problems
Leachate Problems
Issues Concerning Water Flow
Through a Landfill
When water (moisture)
flows through a landfill, it
picks up toxic substances
found in waste, creating
leachate.
Water causes leachate to
flow down through the
landfill and it may
contaminate groundwater.
Issues Concerning Water Flow
Through a Landfill
 Contaminated
groundwater can
disrupt the ecosystem by poisoning
people, plants, and other wildlife.
Soil Problems
What effects does a landfill
have on the soil?
 Soil
contamination
– Materials can leach out of the landfill,
and taint the soil with chemicals and
solid waste
 Possible
increase in Mercury
concentrations in the soil.
– Common sources of mercury in landfills
include electrical switches, fluorescent
light bulbs
Environmental Problems
Environmental Problems
 Landfills
create air pollution
(methane, mercury etc)
 Landfills
need space!
– This leads to habitat destruction
– Do you want one in your backyard?
– “NIMBY”
Look at some pictures …
Delaware
Environmental Effects
Continued
 Landfills
require the use of large,
heavy machines!
– These contribute to noise pollution and
air pollution
– The heavy machinery releases CO2
which contributes to the greenhouse
effect.
What will be Your
future?
The Example of Love Canal
Love Canal is a 16-acre landfill in the southeast
corner of the City of Niagara Falls, New York,
about 0.3 mile north of the Niagara River.
 In the 1890s, a canal was excavated to provide
hydroelectric power.
 Instead, it was later used by Hooker
Electrochemical for disposal of over 21,000
tons of various chemical wastes. Dumping
ceased in 1952, and in 1953 the disposal area
was covered and deeded to the Niagara Falls
Board of Education.

Love Canal
 Construction
occurred near the site,
including an elementary school and
numerous homes.
 Odors and residues were reported during
the 1960s, and increased in the 1970s as
the water table rose, bringing
contaminated ground water to the
surface.
 Residents suffered a high incidence of
cancer and neurological effects.
Love Canal
 Numerous
toxic chemicals migrated
into surrounding areas. This run-off
drains upstream of the intake
tunnels for the Niagara Falls' water
treatment plant.
 After years of remediation activities,
Love Canal was “de-listed” as a
Superfund site in 2004. (USEPA)
Love Canal Article
 Read
the article “Learning from Love
Canal”
 Respond to the questions on the
worksheet.
 Be prepared to discuss your responses in
class