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ANNUAL EMPOWERING SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE
JULY 22-26 2013
SEALING OF NONHAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILLS
Lucia Frechoso / Ana Alexandra Tovar
luciafrechoso@gmail.com / ana_alexandra_ccs@yahoo.com
Main steps when sealing a landfill
Main goals of the sealing of a landfill
Most common uses: Golf courses, baseball/soccer
fields, drive-in theaters, green spaces, wildlife
habitats, biking/walking/running trails.

Solar Power Installations:
Closed landfills / solar installations: plenty of open
space and good sun exposure.
Provide low-cost renewable energy, reducing carbon
footprint.
Important technical challenges: site stability and
impacts to the landfill cap must be carefully
considered.
What to do with a closed landfill
Elements to consider in a landfill reuse
Countries should have laws
and regulations to define and
approve the acceptable uses
of a closed landfill.
The reuse should be
conducted to guarantee
protection of public health,
safety and the environment.
Protection of the landfill cap: water infiltration into the waste will
increase decomposition products such as leachate.
Methane gas generation and migration must be controlled:
methane is explosive and may cause asphyxiation risk.
Settlement of waste: waste settles at differing rates, creating
instability. Building enclosed structures over waste on a landfill can
be highly risky and should not be allowed.
For landfills with environmental monitoring / control systems in
place during the post-closure care period, these systems must be
protected from interaction with those using the landfill property.
- Environmental restoration: integration of the landfill to the environment.
- Avoid rainfall water ingress inside the waste
- Avoid gas emissions into the atmosphere
Post-closure maintenance must be done for at least 30 years
(legal limit required in Spain) Environmental Monitoring Plan
Example of the sealing of a Landfill in Cantabria (Spain)
1. Initial situation after 100% landfill filling
2. Regularization clay + Geotextile +
PEAD Geomembrane
3. Placement of Geodren layer
4. State of the slopes after covering with soil and subsequent hydroseeding (Central zone not sealed
yet. In this zone, only clay regularization layer placed).
Year: 2013 // Execution time: 8 months // Surface: 87.500m2 // Cost: 3.246.000