MSW DISPOSAL-

LANDFILLING
DEFINATION:-
A landfill, also known as a dump or tip, is a site for the disposal of
waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment.
Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of
organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the
world.

2
 PART 1 LANDFILL PROCESS
[PHYSICALP &BIOLOGICAL PRO.]
LANDFILL PHYSICAL LANDFILL BIOLOGICAL
PROCESS PROCESS
-Compaction
-Crushing
PHASE (I) INITIAL ADJUSTMENT
-Partial Mixing &
(Enzymatic Hydrolysis)
Distribution
TRANSITION PHASE (II)
(Fermentation)

ACETOGENIC /ACID PHASE(III)

(Acetogenesis)

METHANOGENIC PHASE (IV)

(Methanogenesis)

MATURATION PHASE (V)

3
 PART 1 LANDFILL PROCESS
[FACTORS AFFECTING DECOMPOSITION]
Factors Affecting Landfill Decomposition
Major environmental factors which
affect the rate and extent of the
biochemical decomposition in the
landfill are:-
a) moisture,
b) Temperature,
c) Soil cover permeability to H20
d) Rainfall, the degree of
resistance of the wastes to
bacterial attack,
e) Solid waste processing before
landfilling.
- .
- Moisture is an essential factor for
bacterial survival. An ideal
moisture content is one that
approaches saturation; however, it
can be a limited factor for the
biological reaction if it drops below
40%.
- Below 20%, decomposition
essentially ceases. The amount of
moisture in the landfill will depend
upon rainfall and the landfill
cover's resistance to infiltration.
Processing of the waste (shredding,
for example) will enhance
decomposition conditions. 4
 PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]

LANDFILLING PRINCIPLES/DEFINATION
A sanitary landfill is an engineered facility that requires
detailed planning and specifications, careful construction, and
efficient operation. In a landfill, solid wastes are disposed of
by spreading in thin layers, compacting to smallest practical
volume, and covering each day, or periodically, with soil or
suitable substitute material in a way that minimises
environmental problems.

5
PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION [BASIC
OF LANDFILLS]

6
PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]
Gas collection

Leachate collection

7
 PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]
LANDFILL TOP LANDFILL ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS 1. Solid Waste
1. Vegetation 2. Compacted Soil
2. Top soil 3. Protective Soil Cover
3. Top Cap Drainage 4. Filter Layer
System 5. Leachate Collection System
4. Perimeter Collection 6. Drainage Layer + Collection Pipes
Pipe 7. Top Liner (FML)
5. Filter Layer 8. Secondary Leachate Collection System
Bottom
6. Barrier Layer (FML) 9. Upper Component (FML) Composite
7. Gas Vent 10. Low Permeability Soil Liner
11. Lower Component (Compacted soil)
12. Compacted Soil
13.Native Soil Foundation
14.Leak Detection System 8
 PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]

LANDFILLING METHOD
The common methods of landfilling configuration can be classified
into 3 types as following:-

A) Trench Method (dig-and-fill)

B) Area method
C) Canyon or Depression Method

(pg.374-376- Tchobanoglous,G)

9
 PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]
TERMINOLOGY

Cell -By the end of each day's deposit of wastes, the waste is
compacted and covered with a daily covering soil which is
called a "cell".
Lift -A series of adjoining cells, all the same height, makes up a lift

Cover -A cover or cap is an umbrella over the landfill to keep water

out (to prevent leachate formation).
Bottom Liner - It may be one or more layers of clay or a synthetic flexible
membrane (or a combination of these). The liner effectively
creates a bathtub in the ground. If the bottom liner fails, wastes will
migrate directly into the environment. There are three types of
liners: clay, plastic (FML-flexible membrane liners) and composite.

10
 PART 2 LANDFILL OPERATION
[BASIC OF LANDFILLS]-COVER
Covers are vulnerable to attack from at least seven sources:

1) Erosion by natural weathering (rain, hail, snow, freeze-thaw cycles, and

wind);
2) Vegetation, such as shrubs and trees that continually compete with grasses
for available space, sending down roots that will relentlessly seek to
penetrate the cover;
3) Burrowing or soil- dwelling mammals (woodchucks, mice, moles, voles),
reptiles (snakes, tortoises), insects (ants, beetles), and worms will present
constant threats to the integrity of the cover;
4) Sunlight (if any of these other natural agents should succeed in uncovering
a portion of the umbrella) will dry out clay (permitting cracks to develop),
or destroy membrane liners through the action of ultraviolet radiation;
5) Subsidence--an uneven cave-in of the cap caused by settling of wastes or
organic decay of wastes, or by loss of liquids from landfilled drums--can
result in cracks in clay or tears in membrane liners, or result in ponding on
the surface, which can make a clay cap mushy or can subject the cap to
freeze-thaw pressures;
(6) Rubber tires, which "float" upward in a landfill.
11
(7) Human activities of many kinds.
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(TRENCH METHOD)

1.Trench Method -This method is used on level or gently

sloping land where the water table is low.
-In the trench method the excavation into The advantage of this method is that the
which the landfill is placed is excavated the soil taken from the trench can readily
specifically for the purpose of landfilling.
be used as cover.
-The soil is temporarily stockpiled. --The
waste is placed on the ground surface or,
more commonly, a landfill liner, spread in
layers, and driven over with compaction
equipment.

-Successive layers are built up until a depth

of 3 to 4 m is achieved. (See Figure 1)
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(TRENCH METHOD)
-The trench method involves digging a wide,
long hole in the existing ground so that the
bottom of the trench is much lower than the
surrounding ground level.
-The depth of the typical trench l is around
3.5 metres, well into the clay layer
underground. The clay layer serves to keep all
liquids contained within the trench. Trench
are square in shape up to 304.8m =1000ft( W
& L) with slope 1.5:1 to 2:1.
-Garbage trucks drive into the trench and
empty their solid wastes onto the trench floor
at one end of the trench. The part of the
trench where the garbage is currently being
emptied at is known as the "active face" of
the trench.
-Each subsequent day, new wastes are
placed at the toe of the previous cell.
These wastes are emptied further along the
trench as the one end of the trench fills up.
-Soil excavated from the site is used for
daily and final cover
-Eventually there will be a full layer of
cells along the bottom of the trench,
known as a "lift". This lift is covered by an
intermediate cover of soil (which is
approximately 30 centimeters thick).
- The large depth of the trench allows for
many layers of cells to be placed on top of
each other before the trench is full. (See
Picture)
13
MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(TRENCH METHOD)

14
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(TRENCH METHOD)
-A completely covered compacted solid
-A series of adjoining cells, all the same height,
waste unit is called a cell. A cell's width
makes up a lift. The completed fill consists of
depends on the number of vehicles
several vertical lifts which may extend 20 to
unloading solid waste at a given time.
50m above the original ground surface.
-The width of the working face can be
-The final cover for the landfill will be about
increased to accommodate vehicles
0.6m of soil or a combination of soil and
unloading side by side. However, if the
synthetic materials. Limiting the entry of
working face is too wide, nuisance
water, however, greatly slows decomposition;
conditions may develop.
thereby extending the time period before the
waste is finally stabilized and environmental
- A good practice is to keep the working
monitoring of the site can cease.
face as small as possible .

15
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(TRENCH METHOD)
Once a trench is full, another
trench is dug and the process
starts over again. The recently
finished trench is covered with
approximately 60 centimeters of
soil. With this layer of soil on top
of the waste, the trench is
replanted with grasses and native
bush. The final cover of soil
provides an adequate base for
proper plant growth.

After the wastes are on the floor of the trench, they are pressed into the smallest possible
area by a steel-wheeled compaction unit. Compacting the waste presses any air pockets out
of the disposed waste, thereby maximizing the area of the landfill. At the end of every day,
the landfill operator will ensure that the day's wastes are completely covered by
approximately 15 centimeters of soil. This completely enclosed volume of solid wastes is
16
referred to as a "cell."
17
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
2. Area Method
(AREA METHOD)
solid waste is deposited on the surface,
compacted, then covered with a layer of
compacted soil at the end of a working
day. Each subsequent day's waste is
placed at the foot of the "active face" of
the landfill.

-Used when terrain is unsuitable for -Then a daily covering of soil

excavation of cells or trench to place prevent the unwanted spread of
MSW such as high water table. garbage.
-Site preparation can include the use of -Cover material must be hauled or
liners and leachate control systems. from adjacent land.
-This method is seldom restricted by
topography: flat or rolling terrain,
canyons, and other types of depressions 18
are all acceptable .
MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(AREA METHOD)
Sanitary Landfill Cross Section - Area Method

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 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(AREA METHOD)
-When a predetermined area of land
has been covered with cells of solid
waste (a "lift" of cells), it is covered
with an intermediate layer of soil
(approximately 30 centimeters deep,
same as the trench method).
-The deposition of waste starts over on
top of the previous lift. Eventually,
successive layers of cells (lifts) can
cause the height of compacted waste to
be very substantial.
-Early landfilling techniques indicated that these layers could reach a depth
of no more than 25 metres. Recent developments in landfilling techniques
have drastically increased the capacity of area method landfilling.
Effectively, there is no limit to the height of an area method landfill. 20
 MSW DISPOSAL-LANDFILLING
(CANYON/DEPRESSION METHOD)
3.Canyon/Depression Method
-The canyon method is similar to
the trench method except natural
depressions or canyons are used
rather than digging trenches. This
can include filling old quarry
sites, ravines, dry borrow pits for
landfilling of MSW.
- Technique to place and compact
solid waste vary with site
geometry ,hydrology & etc.
-Control surface drainage is
often critical factor.
- Filling for each lift starts at head
end of the canyon and ends at
the mouth to prevent water
accumulation.
- Canyon sites are filled in
multiple lifts similar to area
method.
- Available adequate cover
materials from the high locations
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22
PART 3 LANDFILL LEACHATE & GAS
COLLECTION SYSTEMS

23
 PART 3 LEACHATE COLLECTION
SYSTEM
WHAT IS A LEACHATE
Leachate is water that gets badly COMPONENT OF THE
contaminated by contacting wastes. L.COLLECT.SYS
*Impermeable liner
LEACHATE COLLECTION *Granular material
SYSTEM
It seeps to the bottom of a landfill *Collection piping
and is collected by a system of *Leachate storage tank
pipes.
*Leachate is trucked to a wastewater
The bottom of the landfill is sloped;
pipes laid along the bottom capture treatment facility
contaminated water and other fluid
(leachate) as they accumulate. The
pumped leachate is treated at a
wastewater treatment plant (and the
solids removed from the leachate
during this step are returned to the
landfill. 24
 PART 3 LEACHATE COLLECTION
SYSTEM
PROBLEMS WITH LEACHATE
COLLECTION SYSTEMS.
Leachate collection systems can clog up in
less than a decade. They fail in several
known ways:
1) they clog up from silt or mud; 2) they can
clog up because of growth of
microorganisms in the pipes;
3) they can clog up because of a chemical
reaction leading to the precipitation of
minerals in the pipes; or
4) the pipes become weakened by chemical
attack (acids, solvents, oxidizing agents, or
corrosion) and may then be crushed by the
tons of garbage piled on them.

Resulting in water back pressure in the

landfill during landfilling process. 25
PART 3 LANDFILL GAS COLLECTION
SYSTEM

26
 PART 3 LANDFILL GAS COLLECTION
SYSTEM
Passive Gas system in
GAS COLLECTION SYSYTEM Pulau Burung, Malaysia
A systematic engineered facility to remove all form of
gaseous produced in landfill site due to the
biodegradation of MSW

PASSIVE GAS SYSTEM

Wells or tubes placed within the waste act as
channels for gas venting to the atmosphere.
Active Gas system in UK.
ACTIVE GAS SYSTEM
Active gas control systems utilise energy to 'pull' the
gas from the landfill waste. The gas collection systems
usually comprise an array of interconnected vertical,
or in some cases, horizontal ,perforated pipes within
the waste, through which gas is abstracted. The
collected gas may be either flared, or if sufficient gas
is present and the economies are viable, may be
burned as a direct heating fuel or as a fuel in
electricity generation. 27
 PART 3 LANDFILL GAS COLLECTION
SYSTEM
COMPONENT OF LANDFILL GAS
COLLECT SYSTEM:

*Impermeable cap
*Granular material
*Collection pipes
*Gas treatment Facility
Installation of Gas
Collection tubes

Completed Gas
Collection vent
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 PART 3 LANDFILL GAS SYSTEM-
SOURCES
Source of landfill gas
Every ton of household waste contains approximately 150 to 250 kg
organic matter which is biologically decomposable. Under oxygen
restricted conditions, bacterial degradation of the organic matter takes
place through four phases yielding landfill gas.

The process varies from landfill to landfill depending upon a number of

different influencing variables: Waste composition, compaction,
moisture, landfill cover, etc.. all influence the quality of the
environment in which the methane forming microbes live.

The composition of the landfill gas during the individual phases is

diagrammatically illustrated below:

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 PART 4: ISSUES OF LANDFILLS-
PUB.HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Present resource recovery systems all require landfills for disposal of residues. With regard to public
health and environmental protection, a properly designed and operated landfill will offer advantages
in the following areas: (1) aesthetics, especially litter; (2) decomposition gases and leachate; (3)
birds; (4) fires and odours (5) pests; (6) rats; and (7) injury from scavenging.

1) Aesthetics:
Making the site pleasing to look at, while largely dosmetic, is not frivolous. Aesthetics include
screening of daily operations from roads or nearby residents by berms, planting, or other landscaping.
They include an attractive entrance with good roads and easy-to-read signs. At the site, aesthetics
means litter control, principally by the use of a fence to stop blowing paper and plastic, along with
manual or mechanical pickup of the litter. In addition, the site operator may require all trucks
delivering waste to be covered with tarps. The NSW Guidelines state "Vehicles leaving (it does not
mention entering) a landfill site must not distribute litter and site materials in surrounding
streets. Odours, dust, vermin, weeds and litter must be effectively controlled on-site" (EPA,
1996).

2) Gas and leachate:

Even more important to the protection of public health and the environment than the steps described
above is the control of gas generated by the decomposition of solid wastes; and of leachate formed
as water migrates through the solid wastes, picking up a variety of biological and chemical
contaminants.

30
 PART 4: ISSUES OF LANDFILLS-
PUB. HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
3) Birds:
These can be a nuisance or even cause problems with planes if the landfill is near an
airport. In the USA, Federal Aviation Administration requirements prohibit the operation
of a landfill within 10,000 feet of an airport and, under some circumstances, up to 5 miles.
Several methods, including use of noise makers, and nets or wires suspended over the site,
have been tried to discourage birds at landfills near airports. The new EPA Guidelines for
NSW make no recommendations about siteing distances from airports.

4) Fires and Odors:

Odours are best controlled by daily cover, as well as by adequate compaction. Daily cover
also forms cells which are thought to reduce the ability of fires to spread throughout the
landfill.

5) Drainage :
Drainage problems within the landfill may, however, be complicated by the presence of
daily cover. The downward movement of water may be impeded by the intermediate soil
layers and result in leachate seeping out of the side of the landfill. It is recommended that
daily cover be removed near the outer edges of the fill before subsequent lifts are added so
that downward movement of water is facilitated.
31
 PART 4: ISSUES OF LANDFILLS-
PUB. HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
6) Pests:
Flies and mosquitoes are best controlled by daily cover of the solid wastes along
with the elimination of any open standing water.

7) Rats
These can be a problem at open dumps, but the use of cover, insuring that all food
wastes are buried, eliminates rat problems at a sanitary landfill.

8) Scavenging:
While recycling may be desirable, the scavenging of material from a landfill is
usually prohibited. Scavenging is the uncontrolled picking through waste to recover
useful items, as contrasted to salvaging, which is the controlled separation of
recoverable items. Scavengers have been injured, sometimes fatally, while picking
through the waste, and scavenging should not be allowed.

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