Landfills

Landfill Construction Criteria

The MSWLFs are built in compliance with federal regulations because landfills are ticking environmental hazards. In the United States, taking care of trash and building landfills are local government responsibilities. An environmental impact assessment is conducted on the proposed site by the agency responsible for the landfill to make it commercially and environmentally viable. The important requirements for building a landfill include location, capacity, and stability: composition of the underlying soil and bedrock at the proposed location, surface water flow at the proposed site, the effect of the proposed landfill on the local environment and wildlife, the historical or archaeological value of the proposed site, and most important, cost.

Location is one of the major criteria for siting a landfill. It must be constructed far from densely populated area and should have easy transportation access for trash producers, as well as for transporting compost from the site. Several studies have shown that in the United States, landfills are being constructed close to poor neighborhoods or settlements of socially weaker or underprivileged populations. The capacity of the landfill must be determined on the basis of the density of the wastes, the number of people to be served by it, and the construction of lining, drainage layers, and daily and intermediate covering availability. Underlying geology, nearby earthquake fault lines, groundwater table, and location of nearby flood plains and water bodies such as rivers, streams, and lakes also help determine the construction of landfills. Landfills can easily pollute groundwater; therefore, special care should be taken to confirm the stability of a landfill. Surface water should not flow from a landfill to nearby properties, and landfills should not be constructed in locations where there are possibilities of interference with local or migrating birds, wildlife, and fisheries. Landfills should not be built on locations that contain historical and archeological artifacts. The final consideration for building a landfill is its cost. In the United States, the cost of landfills is mostly borne by the local public. A feasibility study must be conducted to determine the cost of building a landfill.

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