Submerged Lands

Landfills are not created equally.  In the United States, the landfill is radically different from the landfill in developing countries.  They are designed completely different of each other. 

In the United States, the landfill uses a very advanced piping system.  The pipes allow the gases to become captured and burned before it causes any serious damages to the atmosphere.  There is also a drainage system that will remove rain water from building up.

Landfills in third world countries, however, cannot afford this convenience. The garbage is left out to face the elements. It decomposes, emitting these dangerous chemicals.  As water continues the build, more and more gas is produced. This harms not only the environment, but also anyone nearby.

In an additional step to prevent the production of greenhouse gasses, the US also covers each day’s load with a special tarp, and then layer of soil. This compacts and protects the garbage. To spread so much dirt in such a short amount of time, we use heavy machinery. Third world countries often do not have access to this kind of equipment, and simply continually stack garbage atop growing layers of garbage. This makes the landfill environment all the more hazardous.

Even with all of the steps we take to make sure our landfills are as “healthy” as possible, you don’t often, if ever, find individuals living there. It simply isn’t safe. However, in third world countries, many impoverished individuals call their landfills, as dangerous as they are, home.

They are forced to feed off the scraps of the fortunate, and sometimes must dig through multiple layers of garbage to find food to feed their family for a single day. In the harsher seasons of the year, they must dig in to the growing piles of garbage, seeking shelter within a damp cave as it emits dangerous gasses. This “homes” are a breeding ground for sickness and disease that kill many.

Many individuals in third world countries rely on landfills as their source of income as well. Very few people recycle in these locations. The landfill scavengers dig through layer upon layer of garbage seeking cans, bottles, and anything else that will get them enough money to buy their family a real meal every once in a rare while.

As unfortunate as these facts are, they are facts nevertheless. We are fortunate in the country we live in, but others cannot claim the same. There are a multitude of activist groups in the world that get involved in situations like this, and give hope to those who barely get by each day.

So many people fight landfills in our country, when their efforts could be better focused on the disease-ridden landfills in other countries that not only wreck havoc on our environment, but on individual lives as well. We live in a time where we can make a difference, and the time to make a difference is now.

Those of you who have observed the landfill site would know that its structure require a non- permeable membrane so that leachate can not pour down to the soil and consequently to the groundwater. Leachate is a liquid, generally rainwater, mixed with dissolved wastes. And this combination could prove to be lethal as no one knows its composition and hence could not tell exactly how dangerous it could be.

As the matter pours down, the resultant is Methane and Hydrogen Sulphide, both which have catastrophic impact due to its anoxic properties. As decomposition continues, temperature goes up and neutral Ph balance decreases which in turn breaks down metal ions along with other non-dissolvable products and worsen the situation.

Are the landfills better ways of getting rid of wastes?  Landfills in nowadays has become much safer than before and methane gas which is more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 is being used today to produce electricity. So landfills have become lot more purposeful than the yesteryears and their by products can be utilized.

Much stringent rules have been introduced for industrial and commercial wastes and vigilant agencies screen out the waste before putting into the landfill but that does not stop a common man to throw anything which he or she want to throw into bin whether that is an old radio or broken part of plastic. So in neatly wrapped up black plastic bag you could find anything you can possibly imagine and moreover anyone have the luxury to get away with it. This situation is quite impossible to manage. Occasional fines for putting the unwanted items in the rubbish which should have been recycled are not enough to contain a whole population. Although regulations have come a long way according to degree of strictness, yet the resultant is far from perfection. With increase in amounts of wastes on daily basis something out of box has to be done.

There are some contaminants we know about but not all of them can be predicted. For example we do not know what contaminants will be released from plastics when they break down or if will they ever break down? In an ongoing debate there is rage on about how and why plastics could become leachate and poison our   oceans and seas and unfortunately many deny the possibilities. What about those thousands of tonnes plastics going into the landfills every year? After all, you cannot contain the unpredictable things and in this case this could lead us to disastrous consequences. So landfills cannot be argued as 100% safe.

There is no doubt that landfills are not perfect but sadly we do not have alternate to deal with the waste right now. First thing which come to mind as preventive measure is to be proactive and vigilant. Reduction in production of plastics and some other disposable items should be high priority, especially Polyvinyl chloride or PVC and polythene. Next important step would be to address the corporate sector. There is a dire need to push the industrial sector to use renewable or recyclable materials for their packaging like humble metal or whatever appropriate alternate.

Compost piles are created to decompose garbage quickly by burying it under certain types of soil. Compost piles have very strict regulations they must follow, however. Indeed, regulation is much stricter than landfills. They do not emit much methane thanks to the types of soil they use to bury the garbage.

Although the bottom lining of a landfill protects it from ground water, what happens when it comes in to contact with other forms of water? Landfills do, of course, experience rain, snow, and other forces of nature. If it weren’t for special planning, the liquid and moisture would be trapped in the garbage, leading to decomposition. However, modern landfills are now fitted with intricate drainage systems that lead water to what is known as a leachate. A leachate is a “pond” filled with the dirty water that ran through the landfill. When a leachate is filled, it is treated like sewage or any other type of contaminated water.

The leachate cannot catch everything, though. Some moisture is bound to stay trapped in the growing piles of garbage, and begin to decompose it slowly, releasing the dangerous methane gas in to the atmosphere. Even this, however, has been accounted for. A series of pipes are built in to the landfill, and it captures the vast majority of the gas as it is emitted. Once captured, most landfills use what is known as a methane flare to burn the gas before it can cause any harm to the environment.

Each day, the trash must be buried under soil. Before it is buried, though, it is covered with a tarp made of polyethylene, known as a cap. This allows in very little moisture or oxygen, even during heavy rain. The weight of the soil then further compresses the trash. Because landfills are made to hold garbage, and not decompose it, the trash will remain in the ground for years to come. It is because of this that even landfills that have been out of service for some 30 years must be monitored often by the government to be sure it is not emitting unsafe levels of methane and carbon dioxide.

Landfills have been around for hundreds of years. Although they are not without their flaws, they have proven to be a fairly successful way of dealing with the massive amounts of waste that American’s produce each year.  However, there will come a time when we run out of landfills. Although research is being made in to alternatives, affordable and practical solutions have not yet come in to focus.

Although landfills have come a long ways, in terms of environmental safety, over the years, they still do pose a threat to our planet. The methane gasses produced, although minimal, and still wreaking havoc on our atmosphere. Advanced though they are, they must evolve further if they are to work in a world that is becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. It will be good for more efficient landfill system to be developed in order to overcome the above downsides of landfill.

In landfill operation, wastes are not accepted any how without inspection. The vehicles that brought the waste are first of all weighed upon arrival using a weighbridge. There are some criteria that their wastes have to satisfy before they are accepted. So, after weighing the waste, it is also check to see if it satisfies the stipulated criteria for landfill. When the inspection of waste has been completed, if the waste scales through, it will be driven to the work front where they will be unloaded.  At this dumping ground a dozer or compactor is used in order to dispersed and compress the waste very well at the working face.

The weighing process that is undertaken is very crucial. It is a means through which the weight of waste that is deposited on the landfill on daily basis is calculated for record purposes. The result is stored in the database. In order to properly calculate this, the vehicles that brought the waste have to be reweighed if possible after dumping their waste. However, before the reweighing, they have to undergo wheel cleaning process. This is a way of ensuring that they are properly kept clean before they are driven out of the dumping ground.

In some dumping ground located in a remote area where the trucks will find it difficult to get to, provision railroad containers are made in such landfills. With such arrangement, landfill can be sited in remotest area and access will not be difficult.

The compressed waste in the landfill is now covered up with soil on daily basis. However, it is not every landfill that uses the above method. There are some landfills where blankets are used to cover the waste on daily basis. The blankets are removed on the next day for waste disposal exercise to continue. Tracked excavators are used to roll the blankets over the compressed waste.

Another means through which the waste can be covered is the use of wood and other bio-solids that have been treated with chemicals. These materials are also removed on the next for disposal of waste to continue.

To ensure that the landfill lasts for a long time, it has to be properly compressed. There are some factors that affect the waste densities. They include compressibility of the waste, thickness of the waste layer and then the number of times the compressor passes through the waste. In landfill, the term daily cell is used to refer to the area of land taken up compressed waste and then the material used in covering the landfill.

Landfill has some advantages as well as disadvantages that can be derived from it. It is a good means of disposing waste if it is properly managed. However, there some disadvantage associated with landfill that makes some people frown at it.

Landfill can lead to the roads damage. The heavy vehicles that convey refuse to the landfill can cause damage to the roads. Landfill can also lead to various kinds of pollution. For example the groundwater can be contaminated by landfill.

An environmental disadvantage of landfills are that it can lead to spread of diseases by providing a veritable home for disease vectors such as flies and also rats. When these disease vectors are multiplied definitely man will suffer the consequence. There will be increased in the spread of diseases caused by these disease vectors.

Landfill can also lead to environmental pollution. Noise pollution around the areas close to landfill can be very disturbing. The heavy automobiles and compressors that are used in landfills produced a hell of noise. People living close to the landfill find it difficult to enjoy their sleep both siesta and night sleep due to noise oozing out from the landfills as the vehicles are moving to and fro. Such environmental hazard can affect those working in the landfill especially if they are not using earplug.

It is not only human beings that are affected by this noise pollution. Wild animals within the location of landfills are also disturbed. Animals are frightened by such noise.  Landfill can also cause water pollution. Research has shown that landfill can pollute the groundwater. This makes water bad for human and animal consumptions. However, in modernise countries, landfills are properly managed such that these problems are reduced or eliminated. But the truth remains that 100% success has not been achieved.

Economic Disadvantage of Landfills

Landfill has also some economic disadvantages that are associated with it. Heavy trucks and vehicles are used in conveying refuse to the landfill. These vehicles are too heavy for the road. The will mount pressure on the road. Owing to the too much pressure on the road, it cannot but collapse when it can no longer withstand the pressure from these heavy trucks. The government has to spend extra money in maintaining the roads which is not a palatable story for the state.

In recent times, locating a landfill is very difficult because most communities do not easily give up their lands. Some will normally charge the local government some huge amount of money in order to allow them to site landfill in their community.   

Landfills that are used for temporary storage of waste can be costly to maintain. Many families sometimes mixed recyclable materials and decomposable material together. This will create more jobs for those separating them. In order to meet up with the demand of the people more neighbors are needed. This means that more money will be spent by the government.

Health Disadvantages of Landfills

As has been said before, landfill harbors many disease vectors. This is a fast means through which diseases can spread to many places.

Methane that is generated by the landfill as the waste materials are decaying is also dangerous to health. People who are living around landfills are exposed to this dangerous gas methane. This is not good to their health.

Experience has also shown that landfill can cause accidents and deaths of human beings. Sometimes, scavengers can be buried under waste heap accidentally.  Houses built on landfill can suffer from liquefaction easily if not properly construction.

According to some recently held studies, a 10 acre landfill will have leakage rate around 0.2 to 10 gallons per day. Therefore, for any effective landfill, the leachate collection system is vital. The water contained by contacting wastes is called leachate. It slowly leaks towards the bottom of a landfill. But it can be pumped out with the help of a series of pipes. These pipes are settled along the bottom of land fill and they collect the leachate and other contaminated waste. In case leachate collection pipe are crushed by the mammoth amount of garbage, different chemicals (like acids, oxidizing agents) or solvents, corrosion will further damage it and weaken it. If this happens and contaminated water or waste remains in the landfill, it will result into the build up of fluids in the bathtub.

To prevent the landfill from leachate formation, a cover or a cap is used. It is like an umbrella over the landfill so the water can be kept away. Generally it is designed in a way that it has several sloped layers to protect landfill from rain. These layers can be of clay or a membrane liner. For more protection, cover is coated with a thin layer of gravelly or sandy soil. In order to strengthen the cover, this layer of soil is further overlain by topsoil in which vegetation can root. Absence of cap or cover can allow the rain to enter in the landfill and hence leachate could build-up to the level where bathtub is overwhelmed. Now leachate overflows from sides and waste start causing damage to the environment.

Covers are vulnerable to seven different sources:

• Natural phenomena like wind, hail, rain, snow, freeze-thaw cycles can cause erosion to take place.
• Vegetation like trees and shrubs can resist the grasses and then replace it. Unlike grasses, their roots constantly penetrate the cover and cause severe damage.
• Different species of animals like in reptiles: snakes, tortoises or in mammals: mice, moles, voles, woodchucks and insects like ants; beetles persistently pose threat to cover by burrowing or soil dwelling.

In case any of the above mentioned factors succeed in damaging the cover, the ultraviolet radiation present in sunlight will further damage the membrane liners or dry out the clay, consequently allowing the development of cracks.

Subsidence

Different factors like ponding on the surface, leakage of liquids from landfill drums, organic deterioration of wastes can cause a cave- in factor in the cap resulting in its subjection to the freeze- thaw pressures. Rubbers tires have unique characteristic as they float in upward direction in a landfill and could prove detrimental to its integrity.

As everything known to the mankind, landfill too has its benefits and problems. Alternative to the landfill is yet to be found. Solid waste management can count on continuous improve research which focuses on the energy production from solid waste.

There are many types of landfills used today.  Below is a list of what makes them different.

Sanitary Landfills

As the name suggests, this type of landfill is monitored at all times.  Not just any type of refuse can be dumped in a sanitary landfill.  Workers examine all the refuse being brought into the area.  At the end of each day, workers cover each small area with dirt.  The next day, they secure another spot to use and cover it at night.

It is also good to note that vehicles conveying refuse to this type of landfill are weighed and then inspected to make such that they keep to the rules. It is not any type of waste material that can be dump in this landfill. That is the reason why the refuses are inspected before the vehicles are allowed to heap the refuse they bring at the work place. They are weighed so that the weight of refuse that is deposited on daily basis is recorded for statistics purposes.

Secure Landfills

Secure landfill is another type of landfill used today. In secure landfill the surface is properly controlled and diverted. There is also the suppression of air emission by the use of cover materials and liners like blankets as in the case of sanitary landfill. There is also adequate provision for leachate collection as well as gas venting. Records of waste buried as well as the volume are kept also. Wastes that are not supposed to be included in the landfill are separated from the others. Probably, it is because of the level of carefulness applied in the construction of this type of landfill that it is called secure landfill. 

Hazardous Landfills

These are landfills that are used to get rid of hazardous waste material such as waste from refinery, solid waste materials from paints, solid waste resulting in the treatment of wastewater and other industrial waste material. Hazardous landfill can also be open dump, sanitary and secure landfill.

Battery landfill is a typical example of open dump. As the name suggests such waste materials as battery components, carbon waste, battery that has been crushed or damaged is dumped in the landfill. This is referred as hazardous owing to the availability of element like mercury, lead, zinc and cadmium. Such elements as studies have shown can migrate to the soil underneath the dumping site and then get to the bedrock. This can be very dangerous because such migration can contaminate the streams nearby as they are flown by runoff to the stream.

Sanitary landfill can also be used for the disposal hazardous waste. Such type of landfill despite its disadvantage has its own advantage. The process of disposing waste is very simple and it does not cost much money to execute. However, there are also some disadvantages that can be derived from this landfill. There is no guarantee that ground of the landfill will be totally impermeable. If it fails to be totally impermeable, there is the possibility of leachate migrating upwards from the bottom of the landfill and it will not detected by the monitoring site. There is also secure landfill used for the disposal of hazardous waste.   

In order to deal with the problem of leachate migration as well as the failure of subsurface barrier, an alternative means of landfill has been developed and it is called surface seal landfill.