The Future Of Landfill

http://www.thesmith.org.uk/places/follies/landfill/JUK17-CapitalismLandfillTipClose.jpg

Out of sight, out of mind?

Linda Forbes – Unit B1 – March 2007

The Landfill Option • • • • • •

Some statistics Construction Management Wastes The future Conclusions

Landfill in EU-15

Landfill sites in England & Wales

http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/commondata/103196/208017?referrer=/yourenv/eff/119008 4/resources_waste/213982/207743/

Anglian

Midlands

North East

North West

South West

Southern

Thames

Wales 0

50

100

150

200

250

Number of sites

300

350

400

450

Municipal waste management in England & Wales

http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/commondata/103196/208020?referrer=/yourenv/eff/119008 4/resources_waste/213982/207743/

100% 90% 80% 70% Other

60%

Recycled/composted RDF manufacture

50%

Incineration without EfW Incineration with EfW

40%

Landfill 30% 20% 10% 0% 1996/97

1997/98

1998/99

1999/00

2000/01

2001/02

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

Scotland’s waste - 2004/5

Landfill Construction

Landfill Construction Technique Excavate to 1m above water table Clay or synthetic liner laid 10-7 cms-1 permeability Install leachate collection system Geosynthetic liner to stabilise waste Sand drainage layer (sloping) Deposition begins

Landfill Management

Landfill Capping Gas and leachate collection piping and networks completed http://www.abdn.ac.uk/chemistry/research/jf/landfill2.jpg

Site capped with clay lining, geotextile layer and sand

Planted with grass or similar

Groundwater and air pollution monitoring systems installed

Landfill Wastes Methane emissions by source: 1990-2005 United Kingdom 5.5

million tonnes

Agriculture

5.0

Landfill

Gas leakage

Other

Coal Mines

4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 1990

1993

1996

1999

2002

2005

Source: AEA Energy & Environment

Landfill Gas (Methane) 1973 - 75

Inert waste tipped at old brickworks

1977

Licence granted to tip wide variety of wastes, including 50 tons per day of untreated domestic waste

1977 - 82

Increasing quantities of domestic waste tipped

1984

Lawns and trees began to die in the surrounding gardens

1986

Explosion destroyed bungalow adjacent to site in Loscoe

Flow rates measured were 45-70 cubic metres of methane per hour

Landfill Leachate Ingress of water via precipitation; reduced with effective capping Attenuation of leachate into groundwater believed sufficient treatment; remediation now required Leachate recycled to hasten decomposition of waste in landfill Reed bed treatment used to polish leachate prior to discharge

www.soton.ac.uk/~sunrise/image3.gif

So, in the future?

And in the year 2525…

Conclusions Need for landfill sites is likely to persist, despite Landfill Directive

Recycling/composting of biodegradable waste will reduce methane emissions from future landfill sites

Long-term effect of leachate not known, in health or cost terms

Stability of closed landfill sites over coming centuries untested

Alternative disposal method of incineration unattractive to public

Landfill very definitely out of sight, and preferably out of mind