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Landfills

A landfill is an engineered pit, in which layers of solid waste are filled, compacted and covered for final disposal. It is lined at the bottom to prevent groundwater pollution. Engineered landfills consist of a lined bottom; a leachate collection and treatment system; groundwater monitoring; gas extraction (the gas is flared or used for energy production) and a cap system. The capacity is planned and the site is chosen based on an environmental risk assessment study (UNEP 2002). There are also landfills specially designed to encourage anaerobic biodegradation of the organic fraction of the waste for biogas production by monitoring the oxygen conditions and moisture content. Landfills need expert design as well as skilled operators and a proper management to guarantee their functionality.