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
There areare
3,091
3,091 active
active
sanitary
sanitary
landfills
landfills in
in the
the
U.S.
U.S. and
and over
over
10,000
10,000 old old
municipal
municipal
landfills
landfills
(rubbish
(rubbish pits).
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
How is
is aa Sanitary
Sanitary Landfill
Landfill
made?
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-
Cross Section of a
Landfill
What
What is
is done
done with
with the
the Leachate?
Leachate
Leachate?
Leachate

The state-of-the-art
The state-of-the-art system,
system,
constructed at
constructed at the
the bottom
bottom of
of the
the landfill,
landfill,
has aa special
has special double-liner
double-liner to
to prevent
prevent
leachate leakage.
leachate leakage. The
The contained
contained
leachate is
leachate is run
run through
through pipes
pipes to
to above-
above-
ground storage
ground storage tanks
tanks and
and hauled
hauled for for
treatment and
treatment and disposal
disposal at
at aa large
large
regional wastewater
regional wastewater treatment
treatment plant.
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
The Capping
Capping of
of aa FULL
FULL Landfill
Landfill

Hartford Landfill
 So...landfill
So...landfill garbage
garbage degrades,
degrades,
right?
right
right?
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)
weight
 Plastics
Plastics
Plastics can take between 200-400 years to degrade.
Only 3% of it is currently recycled.
Yard
Yard Waste
Waste
Green Waste (leaves, twigs, Christmas trees)
can be shredded and used as mulch or composted.
Paper
Paper &&
Cardboard
Cardboard
Nationwide, paper & cardboard account for 41 % of
all municipal solid waste. Only about 34.5 % is
recycled in the U.S.
 Metal
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
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
Food Waste
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?
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