LAND FILLING

SUBMITTED TO: Sir. khaqan Babar SUBMITTED BY: Saba Arjumand Roll. No. : 28 (3rd Semester-PU)

TABLE OF CONTENT
1.

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................

2. DEFINITION ............................................................................. 3. EXPLANATION: ................................................................................................

3.1 Standards ...............................................................................

3.2 Operations............................................................................... 3.3 Safeguards............................................................................... 3.4 Gas omission ........................................................................ 3.5 Decomposition...................................................................... 3.6 Closing landfills...................................................................... 3.7 Impacts....................................................................................... 4. TYPES .......................................................................................... 4.1 Open dumping ..................................................................... 4.2 Sanitary landfill .................................................................... 4.3 Method type.......................................................................... 5. ADVANTAGES OF LANDFILL ........................................... 6. DISADVANTAGES OF LAND FILL .................................. 7. CONCLUSION..............................................................................

Introduction:
A landfill is where garbage is deposited and then buried. Properly managed landfills are an environmentally safe means of disposal, and are closely monitored for their environmental impact by the U.S. EPA as well as state and local authorities. Over the past several years, the number of landfills has decreased from almost 8,000 in 1988 to 1,767 in 2002. Many landfills closed because they could not meet federal environmental standards. The size of the average landfill, however, has increased. Current landfill capacity is stable, although some communities may face shortages. After source reduction, recycling, and composting, a large portion of municipal solid waste must still be placed in landfills. In 2003, 55.4% of municipal solid waste was land filled or about 2.46 pounds per person per day. This is down from 56.2% in 2000.

Definition:
A disposal site where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials in such a way as to reduce contamination of the surrounding land. Modern landfills are often lined with layers of absorbent material and sheets of plastic to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil. Also called sanitary land fills

Explanation
A landfill site (also known as tip, dump or rubbish dump and historically as a midden), 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. Landfills may include internal waste disposal sites (where a producer of waste carries out their own waste disposal at the place of production) as well as sites used by many producers. Many

landfills are also used for waste management purposes, such as the temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or processing of waste material (sorting, treatment, or recycling). A landfill also may refer to ground that has been filled in with rocks instead of waste materials, so that it can be used for a specific purpose, such as for building houses. Unless they are stabilized, these areas may experience severe shaking or liquefaction of the ground in a large earthquake.

Landfill Standards
Municipal solid waste landfills are regulated under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act passed by Congress in 1976. In 1991, the U.S. EPA published a supplemental set of Landfill Rules which now serve as the basis for state regulatory and permitting requirement. New landfills may also collect potentially harmful landfill gas emissions, such as methane, and convert them into energy. Because today's landfills need to operate with unquestioned safety and efficiency, it often can take five or more years from the time a site is selected until design, permit application, and public hearings are completed and the facility is built.

How a Landfill Operates

A typical landfill is divided into a series of sections called "cells." Solid waste is placed on what is called a "working face," which is a portion of a landfill cell that is currently available to accept this material. Only limited sites in a landfill are exposed at any given time to minimize exposure of the landfill's contents to environmental elements like wind and rain. Because a landfill is filled so systematically, landfill operators may be able to pinpoint where a specific load of garbage was deposited days, weeks, or even months afterward.

At the conclusion of each day's activity in a cell, a layer of earth (sometimes ash or compost), called "daily cover," is spread across the compacted waste to minimize odor, prevent windblown litter, and deter insect and vermin. The daily cover may also consist of a layer of foam or sheets of synthetic materials. The landfill operator moves from working face to work face and from cell to cell as the landfill gradually reaches its capacity over periods of many years, even decades. Typically, in non hazardous waste landfills, in order to meet predefined specifications, techniques are applied by which the wastes are: 1. Confined to as small an area as possible. 2. Compacted to reduce their volume. 3. Covered (usually daily) with layers of soil. During landfill operations the waste collection vehicles are weighed at a weighbridge on arrival and their load is inspected for wastes that do not accord with the landfills waste acceptance criteria. Afterward, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front where they unload their load. After loads are deposited, compactors or dozers are used to spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles pass through the wheel cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to the weighbridge in order to be weighed without their load. Through the weighing process, the daily incoming waste tonnage can be calculated and listed in databases. In addition to trucks, some landfills may be equipped to handle railroad containers. The use of 'rail-haul' permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips. Typically, in the working face, the compacted waste is covered with soil daily. Alternative waste-cover materials are several sprayed-on foam products and temporary blankets. Blankets

can be lifted into place with tracked excavators and then removed the following day prior to waste placement. Chipped wood and chemically 'fixed' bio-solids may also be used as an alternate daily cover. The space that is occupied daily by the compacted waste and the cover material is called a daily cell. Waste compaction is critical to extending the life of the landfill. Factors such as waste compressibility, waste layer thickness and the number of passes of the compactor over the waste affect the waste densities.

Environmental Safeguards
Rain, snow, and liquids created by the compaction and decomposition of solid waste, which can seep through a landfill cell, is called "leachate." Leachate is a potential pollutant of surface waters (lakes, rivers, streams, or oceans) or groundwater, which is the source of most drinking water. A protective liner is used to prevent filtration of liquid from the landfill. Liners may be made of compacted clay or impermeable materials such as plastic. When clay is used, the layer may be as much as ten feet thick. This site preparation is done so that any liquid entering the landfill can be controlled and treated externally, or retained inside the landfill, rather than being permitted to pass through. Beyond protective liners, modern landfills include multiple safeguards to contain leachate and other waste and waste byproducts and isolate them from surrounding water and soil. To prevent leachate contamination, a network of drains is installed at the bottom of the landfill to collect the liquid that has percolated through the solid waste. Leachate is then pumped to waste water recovery points for treatment. Groundwater monitoring wells are also installed around the perimeter of the landfill to ensure that surrounding groundwater is not contaminated with leachate. Should a liner system fail by breaking or deteriorating, leak detectors installed under the liners signal the presence of leachate, allowing corrective action to prevent any movement of leachate from the landfill toward nearby ground or surface waters.

Landfills and Gas Emissions

Landfill gas production results from chemical reactions and microbes acting upon the waste as the putrescible materials begins to break down in the landfill. The rate of production is affected by waste composition and landfill geometry, which in turn influence the bacterial populations within it, chemical make-up, thermal characteristics, and entry of moisture and escape of gas. The spatially heterogeneous nature of most landfills means that there will be a wide range of physical conditions and biological ecosystems co-existing simultaneously within most sites. This heterogeneity, together with the frequently unclear nature of the contents, makes landfill gas production more difficult to predict and control than standard industrial bioreactors for sewage treatment. Due to the constant production of landfill gas, the increase in pressure within the landfill (together with differential diffusion) causes the gas's release into the atmosphere. Such emissions lead to important environmental, hygiene and security problems in the landfill. Several accidents have occurred, for example at Loscoe, England in 1986, where migrating landfill gas which was allowed to build up destroyed the property. An accident causing two deaths occurred from an explosion in a house adjacent to Skellingsted landfill in Denmark in 1991. Due to the risk presented by landfill gas there is a clear need to monitor gas produced by landfills. In addition to the risk of fire and explosion, gas migration in the subsurface can result in contact of landfill gas with groundwater. This in turn can result in contamination of groundwater by organic compounds present in nearly all landfill gas. Landfill gas is approximately forty to sixty percent methane, with the remainder being mostly carbon dioxide. Landfill gas also contains varying amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, sulfur, and other contaminants. Most of these other contaminants are known as "non-methane organic compounds" or NMOCs. Some inorganic contaminants (for example mercury) are also known to be present in landfill gas. There are sometimes also contaminants (for example tritium) found in landfill gas. The non-methane

organic compounds usually make up less than one percent of landfill gas Gases emanating from the landfill are also closely monitored and controlled. As the organic portion of waste (e.g. food and yard wastes) decomposes, large amounts of methane gas and carbon dioxide are produced. Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Air Act, landfill operators are required to monitor gas both on the surface and around the boundaries of landfills. As cells to the landfill are sealed off, venting systems are installed to prevent methane from diffusing under ground, and to collect any gas released and burn it off. In many cases, energy is recovered from the combustion of the gases to be used on site or sold to local homes or businesses.

Land fill-decomposition :
A landfill has three stages of decomposition. The first one is an aerobic phase. The solid wastes that are biodegradable react with the oxygen in the landfill and begin to form carbon dioxide and water. Temperature during this stage of decomposition in the landfill rises about 30F (16.7C) higher than the surrounding air. A weak acid forms within the water and some of the minerals

Closing land fills:

When a landfill has reached its capacity, it is required to close consistent with U.S. EPA "final cap" environmental requirements. A final layer of clay and dirt "cap" the landfill. It is then is re-landscaped according to closure plans drawn up in accordance with the community. This process is planned many years in advance. To be granted a license to operate, a landfill operator must have a complete plan for the site's eventual closure. The operator is also required to set aside the financial resources which will be necessary for all closure, post-closure, and corrective activity which may be needed over the lifetime of the landfill. Once a landfill is capped, operators are obligated to monitor the site for gas and leachate for up to 30 years after the closure date. They are often involved in the ongoing efforts to reclaim the land for other uses. Landfills can end up as open space for communities to use as parks, or other

recreational facilities. Building any permanent structure on landfills is less common because, as solid waste decomposes in the landfill, the entire landscape can settle.

Impact
Note that the area being filled is a single, well-defined "cell" and that a rubberized landfill liner is in place (exposed on the left) to prevent contamination by leachates migrating downward through the underlying geological formation. A large number of adverse impacts may occur from landfill operations. These impacts can vary: fatal accidents infrastructure damage (e.g., damage to access roads by heavy vehicles); pollution of the local environment (such as contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers by leakage and residual soil contamination during landfill usage, as well as after landfill closure); off gassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area); harboring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills, which are common in developing countries; injuries to wildlife; and simple nuisance problems (e.g., dust, odor, vermin, or noise pollution). Most modern landfills in industrialized countries are operated with controls to attempt to manage problems such as these. Analysis of common landfill operational problems is available. Some local authorities have found it difficult to locate new landfills. Communities may charge a fee or levy in order to discourage waste and/or recover the costs of site operations. Many landfills are publicly funded, but some are commercial businesses, operated for profit. It is the perfect engineers structures designed dump yard just a pit have protective layer in order to prevent earth and ground water beneath it.

Types of land fills

1 : Open dumping
At one time most household waste was thrown into giant open pits called dumps. Most cities and towns had their own open dumps. From time to time, the heaping mound of stinking garbage was covered with a layer of dirt. Today such dumps are against the law in many areas because they pose serious health hazards. Rats, flies, and mosquitoes swarm through the rotting garbage, but the most serious health problem is water pollution. Every day Americans throw away household cleaners, paints, motor oils, insect sprays, and fertilizers that contain dangerous chemicals. When it rains, water drips through the garbage, mixing with these chemicals. Abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires and demolition debris such as lumber, shingles, pipes and asbestos can threaten the health of humans, wildlife and the environment. Known as open dumps, these sites can be found throughout Illinois heaped at the bottom of ravines, in empty lots and pastures and along roadsides. An open dump is an illegal waste disposal site and should not be confused with a permitted municipal solid waste landfill or a recycling facility. If allowed to remain, open dumps often grow large and may attract the dumping of both solid and hazardous wastes. Open dumps pose the following health, safety and environmental threats:

Fire and explosion Inhalation of toxic gases Injury to children playing on or around the dump site Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies and rodents Contamination of streams, rivers, and lakes Contamination of soil and groundwater Contamination of drinking water Damage to plant and wildlife habitats

Decrease in the quality of life to nearby residents and the local community

Open dumps create a public nuisance, divert land from more productive uses and depress the value of surrounding land.

Open Dumping Is Prohibited by Law

Causing or allowing open dumping is illegal, and may result in substantial penalties. Any of the following seven conditions at a dump site can result in the issuance of an Administrative Citation:

Littering Scavenging Open burning Placement of waste in standing or flowing water Promoting an increase of disease-carrying organisms Standing or flowing liquid discharge from the dump site Depositing of construction or demolition debris

Any Administrative Citation carries a $1,500 penalty for a first offense and a $3,000 penalty for a subsequent offense. A citation can be issued for any condition observed during every Illinois EPA inspection until the violation is resolved. In addition to an Administrative Citation, the state can pursue criminal charges and confiscate profits and vehicles that result from, or are used to Carry out, open dumping.

2 : Sanitary landfill
The term "sanitary landfill" was first used in the 1930s to refer to the compacting of solid waste materials. Initially adopted by New York City and Fresno, California, the sanitary landfill used heavy earthmoving equipment to compress waste materials and then cover them with soil. The practice of covering solid waste was evident in Greek civilization over 2,000

years ago, but the Greeks did it without compacting.

Sanitary landfills are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe.

It is considered when it has completely degraded biologically, chemically and physically. In high-income countries, the level of isolation achieved may be high. However, such an expensive high level of isolation may not be technically necessary to protect public health. Four basic conditions should be met before a site can be regarded as a sanitary landfill (see following.) The ways of doing this should be adapted to local conditions. The immediate goal is to meet, to the best extent possible, the four stated basic sanitary landfill conditions, with a longer term goal to meet them eventually in full. Today, the sanitary landfill is the major method of disposing waste materials in North America and other developed countries, even though considerable efforts are being made to find alternative methods, such as recycling, incineration, and composting. Among the reasons that landfills remain a popular alternative are their simplicity and versatility. For example, they are not sensitive to the shape, size, or weight of a particular waste material. Since they are constructed of soil, they are rarely affected by the chemical composition of a particular waste component or by any collective incompatibility of co-mingled wastes. By comparison, composting and incineration require uniformity in the form and chemical properties of the waste for efficient operation. About 67% of the solid waste generated in the United States is still dumped in landfills. This corresponds to several tons of waste per landfill daily, considering 4.5 lb (2 kg) of solid waste is generated each day per person in this country. Americans will have created approximately 220 million tons of solid waste in the year 2000. The many tons of solid waste dumped in a landfill today will not decompose until 30 years from now. In order to create environmentally friendly landfills, new sites are being engineered to recover the methane gas that is generated during decomposition, and some older landfills are being mined for useful products. Sanitary landfills involve well-designed engineering methods to protect the environment from contamination by solid or liquid wastes. A necessary condition in designing a sanitary landfill is the availability of vacant land that is accessible to the community being served and has the capacity to handle several years of waste material. In addition, cover soil must be available

Method type:
Trench and area methods, along with combinations of both, are used in the operation of landfills. Both methods operate on the principle of a "cell," which in landfills comprises the compacted waste and soil covering for each day. The trench method is good in areas where there is relatively little waste, low groundwater, and the soil is over 6 ft (1.8 m) deep.

Basic requirements:

As a minimum, four basic conditions should be met by any site design and operation before it can be regarded as a sanitary landfill: Full or partial hydro geological isolation: if a site cannot be located on land which naturally contains leachate security, additional lining materials should be brought to the site to reduce leakage from the base of the site (leachate) and help reduce contamination of groundwater and surrounding soil. If a liner - soil or synthetic - is provided without a system of leachate collection, all leachate will eventually reach the surrounding environment. Leachate collection and treatment must be stressed as a basic requirement.

Formal engineering preparations: designs should be developed from local geological and hydro geological investigations. A waste disposal plan and a final restoration plan should also be developed. Permanent control: trained staff should be based at the landfill to supervise site preparation and construction, the depositing of waste and the regular operation and maintenance. Planned waste emplacement and covering: waste should be spread in layers and compacted. A small working area which is covered daily helps make the waste less accessible to pests and vermin.

Advantage of Landfills

Landfills certainly are carried forward in a huge scale but it is considered as the cheapest way of decomposing or destroying waste. Other modes of destroying waste, like burning, surely create pollution and major health hazards. There are certainly a number of advantages of landfills, which can certainly not be avoided. Landfills can firstly be a great source of relief as the major issue lies with dumping. People certainly do not bother to realize the hazards and difficulties involved if waste gets accumulated. Secondly it is the best way of getting rid of collected trash or dump. Now once a landfill has already been complete the same area can prove beneficial for agricultural production. The land would be as good as it is completely decomposed. The other thing about landfills is that it manages to throw away dump by converting it into methane. This basically can be used for household purposes like electricity. If you have been able to manage the whole landfill perfectly, then there is no way that the methane leaks out. Thirdly, recently landfills are facing lot of issues with respect to space, health hazards and pollution. However, one thing should be understood that if it consumes enough space it also makes the same space available for farming. Lastly, if enough care is taken while dumping waste in terms of material segregation, it would just be perfect. You can opt for separate landfills for wet as well as dry. Household waste and industrial waste should never be mixed as the latter can cause health hazards. The idea lies in the fact that it is carried forward in a perfect manner. Each of the layers in the landfill has so much of effort that most of the times it is undertaken perfectly. Although it does attract insects and other organisms, landfills can certainly provide daily households more than necessary.

Landfill Disadvantages & Problems

Landfill Sites Are Very Dangerous. They Also Cause Damage to Animal and Plant Habitats So are not at All Good for the Environment. Landfills and the surrounding areas are often heavily polluted. Landfill can pollute the water, the air, and also the soil. It is difficult to keep dangerous chemicals from leaching out into the surrounding land. Dangerous chemicals can spread into the water table or into waterways. Landfill can attract animals and insects to come such as raccoons, rats, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and seagulls. Landfill can also cause sicknesses, illnesses, and diseases which might spread in communities. Landfill can increase the chances of global warming by releasing methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. Landfills are taking up lots of our land and that can also take away habitats for other animals. Landfills contain a lot of kitchen scraps and organic material. As the landfill is constantly being covered with new garbage the organic material decomposes anaerobically (that is, without air). Anaerobic decomposition produces methane, which is a 20 times more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Conclusion

It is very safely saying in the last that large landfills will require more investment to improve standards than smaller sites. However, the unit cost of these improvements (measured per tone of waste land filled or per head of population served) will decrease with increasing site size. There are financial and other benefits to sites with long operating lifetimes (ten years or more). Large regional sites serving two or more cities could be economically beneficial, providing. Small incremental improvements in landfill design and operation over several years are more likely to succeed than attempts to make a single, large leap in engineering expectations.

REFRENCES
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_o f_landfill#ixzz1RzjldI00 www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=landfilling business.highbeam.com/6132/article-1G1-18855652/open-dump-landfill kankakeehealth.org/environmental-health/nuisance-solid-waste/opendumps.html Information on permitted landfills can be found at: http://www.epa.state.il/land/landfill-capacity/index.html http://science.jrank.org/pages/3811/Landfill.html) www.globalwarmingandu.com/landfill/Advantage-Of-Landfills.html

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