From Ecopedia

Overview

Landfills are waste dumping sites useful in organized waste management.

Conventional landfills usually dispose waste materials by burial. Landfills sites may be either internal waste dumping sites, where waste producers carry out waste disposal at the production site itself or outside-production sites used by several producers.

Waste-dumping landfills typically adhere to certain pre-defined waste management specifications such as:

• Confining the wastes to smaller areas
• Compacting waste materials to reduce waste volume, and
• Covering the sites with layers of soil (usually on a daily-basis) to sustain soil fertility^[1]

Environmental Issues

Environmental agencies across the countries today take up the job of regulating the landfill sites in order to ensure that the impact of such waste dumping sites is minimal on the environment.^[2] Landfill operations lead to several environmental damages such as local pollution due to groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emissions among many others.

Air and soil pollution

Contamination of residual landfill soils occurs during landfill operations and even after closure of landfills.

Harmful emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (released by decaying organic waste substances) into the atmosphere leads to global warming-causing greenhouse effect.

Environmental noise as well as dust generated from landfill accessing vehicles contributes the atmospheric pollution. Apart from noise and dust pollution, toxic odors and vermin also contribute to atmospheric pollution.

Landfill gases

Landfill gases are generated as a result of anaerobic digestion of various microbes, present in the dumping sites, on different organic matter. Such gases, when accumulated in large amounts cause air pollution. In order to control the build-up levels of landfill gases, landfill gas monitoring is practiced to avert the pollution.

Landfills Aiding in Material Recovery

Landfills are useful in recovery of useful and essential materials from landfill sites. Besides, landfills are a rich source of energy. Recognizing the importance of landfills in this regard, several commercial establishments started harvesting both materials as well as energy generated from landfills.

Gas recovery sites typically, recover useful source materials as well as energy from the landfill sites to make efficient use of both the source material and energy using efficient filters.

Poorly-managed Landfills Generating Liquid Leachate

Old and poorly-designed landfills tend to create many adverse effects on the environment. Poorly-managed landfills, especially, lead to groundwater pollution through the generation of environmentally-hazardous liquid leachate. Besides, landfills impact the environment by attracting the harmful vermin and co-producing wind-blown litter. ^[3]

References

1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill
2. ↑ http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/37823.aspx
3. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management