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Introduction:

A landfill is not a junkyard.

A junkyard is a surface collection of wastes or potentially recyclable material that is not designed for long term, environmentally sound storage. Junkyards where recyclable materials are collected prior to sale or reuse may also be called scrap yards. An area used for uncontrolled dumping of wastes is often called a dump, trash yard or midden.

A landfill is an engineered waste disposal site where wastes can be buried under controlled conditions that prevent the generation of methane, the emission of odorous gases, the contamination of groundwater. Landfills can be designed to handle inert materials, domestic trash, or hazardous wastes.

Design:

Landfills are constructed in areas where impact on potable water aquifers are minimized.

A pit is usually excavated after removing topsoil to storage for later completion of the site.

The empty pit is equipped with a drainage system to allow the collection of rainwater which percolates through the waste. Depending on the hazard level of te wastes a clay or impermeable plastic membrane may be installed on the pit floor.

Landfills often have an associate environmental monitoring system to check air and water quality. f there is a lot of fluid coming from the area, a wastewater treatment system may be present.

Operation:

A landfill is filled in asystematic fashion tominimize the amount of waste exposed to rain or snow. When each area is filled a cover of clay is added to prevent infiltration.

When the site is totally full. a clay cap is installed an the site covered with topsoil. Grass or trees can be grown on the surface.

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16y ago

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