1.5.

RECLAMATION AND RESTORATION OF DERELICT LANDS

INTRODUCTION:
Rapid population growth and urbanization in developing countries have led to the generation of
enormous quantities of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and consequential environmental
degradation. Safe and reliable disposal of municipal solid wastes and residues is an important
component of integrated waste management.
Open dumping of MSW, which is practiced by about three-fourths of the countries and
territories in the world is a primitive stage of waste disposal. The open dumps or dumpsites
cause degradation of the environment since they are susceptible to open burning, groundwater
pollution and exposed to scavengers and disease vectors.
Problems of shortage of cover, lack of leachate collection and treatment, inadequate
compaction, poor site design, and rag pickers invasion are common. Growing concerns about
public health, environmental quality and the risks associated with the existing dumps make it
almost impossible to site new landfills in many parts of the world. This calls for an integrated
approach for sustainable management of dumpsites and landfills
DUMPSITE REHABILITATION :
Dumpsite - a piece of land where waste materials are dumped.
Reclamation/Rehabilitation - the conversion of wasteland into land suitable for use of
habitation or cultivation.
Restoration: The act of restoring or bringing back to a former place, or condition.
 Reclamation and Rehabilitation of dumpsites as tools for sustainable land filling
have been in vogue throughout the world for the last 50 years.
 The process of rehabilitating a dumpsite into a sustainable landfill is a phased
activity, which depends on the risk posed by each dump and its financial aspects.
 To determine whether to rehabilitate and close or remediate, upgrade and operate
a dumpsite, the environmental risks posed by it must be assessed.
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL:
Basically there are two methods of solid waste disposal
1) Open dumps 2) Land fill
OPEN DUMPS:
 Open dumps, where the waste is unloaded in piles, make very uneconomical use of
the available space, allow free access to waste pickers, animals and flies and often
produce unpleasant and hazardous smoke from slow-burning fires.
 Open dumping is a common in developing countries and regional areas of developed
countries due to low initial costs and lack of expertise and equipment.
 This method is environmentally unacceptable and causes ground water
contamination and public health hazards.
  Due to these concerns, open dumps are being progressively closed and these sites
need up-gradation.
LANDFILLS:
 Landfills are facilities that serve as long-term disposal sites for community solid
wastes. They are designed and operated to protect both the community and the
environment from contamination.
 When properly operated, landfill sites can ensure clean groundwater and clean air
in the community and environment.
SITE SELECTION CRITERIA:
The selection of a disposal site for urban & industrial solid waste is one of the most critical
planning processes faced in suburban and rural areas today. Properly approached, it should be
guided by three considerations:
 Cost – which is closely tied to land values and hauling distances.
 Land-use and environment in the vicinity of the site and along hauling routes.
 Site considerations, which are largely a function of soil and drainage.
SITE CONSIDERATIONS:
1) PROXIMITY TO SURFACE WATER
A disposal site must not be located near any surface streams, lakes, rivers or wetlands. It
should be placed minimum 100 m away from surface water bodies.
2) DISTANCE FROM TRANSPORTATION ROUTES
Aesthetic considerations would be of good practice for good planning and based on this
principle, dump site shall not be located within 100 meters of any major highways, city streets
or other transportation routes.
3) DISTANCE FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE OR PROTECTED AREAS
The location of a dumpsite in close proximity to sensitive areas such as sanctuaries must be
avoided, and mangrove areas and areas gazetted for special protection would be excluded.
Apart from the area being excluded, a 3,000 meters buffer would also be created surrounding
the environmentally sensitive area.
4) DISTANCE FROM URBAN AREAS
Dumpsites should not be placed too close to high-density urban areas .This guards against
health problems, noise complaints, odor complaints, decreased property values and mischief
due to scavenging animals.
5) DISTANCE FROM RURAL SETTLEMENTS AREAS
Development of dumpsites shall be prohibited within 3000 meters from village settlements.
6) LANDFORM AND SOIL TYPE
The permeability of the underlying soils and bedrock will greatly influence how much leachate
is escaping a landfill site; therefore, preference is given to a landform that is somewhat located
in flat or undulating land and Dense ( compact) clay soils. In addition, the clay should not be
inter-layered with sand or gravel, not subject to cracking upon drying and stable against mass
movement such as landslides.
Where these conditions cannot be met, the site must be modified to achieve the satisfactory
performance. If the soils are sandy and permeable, a liner of clay or a synthetic substance such
as vinyl must be installed to gain the necessary imperviousness.
7) LAND USE/LAND COVER
The Land use and Land cover must be known in order to determine which areas are more
suitable for a dumpsite. Land use types such as grassland, forests and cultivated land would be
considered and assigned an appropriate index of land use suitability.
Selected dumpsite should be a minimum of:
 300 m from a private house;
 300 m from a non-residential, commercial and/or industrial building;
 100 m from a highway;
 300 m from a water supply;
 100 m from surface water including lakes, ponds, streams, creeks, and brooks;
 100 m from heritage and archeological resources;
 8 km from an airport.
 Setback distances may be increased or decreased with prior approval from the
appropriate regulatory authorities.
A dumpsite should also be located:
 1.0 m above the seasonal high groundwater table;
 where cover material is readily available at or near the site to be developed;
 in an area with natural buffers;
 where surrounding topography is gently sloping and well drained;
 In fine grained (low permeability) soils such as clays, glacial tills, and silts.
A dump site should not be located within:
 a designated water supply watershed;
 the 100-year flood plain;
 parks, and ecologically sensitive areas;
 areas of shallow or exposed bedrock;
 areas with steep slopes and potential for severe erosion.
METHODS OF LAND FILLING:
There are two main techniques when operating landfill sites: trench & area method.
TRENCH LANDFILL METHOD:
 The trench landfill method is the most commonly used landfill design.
 It should be used in areas of relatively impermeable soils where the water table is
well below the ground surface.
  Essentially, the method involves excavating a trench and depositing waste directly into
the trench.
 Deposited waste is compacted to ensure efficient use of the trench volume.
 Waste can be compacted in horizontal layers, but sloping layers that form a ramp at
one end of the trench can also be used.
 Periodically, the waste is covered with a thin layer of soil.
 Typical soil cover thickness is a minimum of 150 mm.
 When the trench is filled, it is covered with a layer of soil and sealed with a layer of
low permeability clay.
 This is to prevent water from seeping into the closed trench and producing more
leachate.

AREA LANDFILL METHOD:

 The area landfill method should be used where soils are unsuitable for excavation
or where a high groundwater table exists.
 It is recommended for soil and site conditions that do not allow use of the trench
landfill method.
 Essentially, the method involves placing waste directly on the ground surface
within a confined area and regularly compacting it.
 As the waste deposited increases, a mound will form. Periodically, the mound is
covered with a thin layer of soil.
 Typical soil cover thickness is a minimum of 150 mm.
 When the mound has reached a certain size and height, it is covered with a layer of
soil and sealed with a layer of low permeability clay.
  This is to prevent water from seeping into the closed landfill and producing more
leachate.

Sanitary landfills are managed disposal sites. They involve burial of waste in the ground and are
the preferred method of solid waste disposal. Most other disposal methods are either
environmentally unacceptable or too expensive for most waste. Examples include burning,
open pit dumping and ocean dumping.
LANDFILL TYPES:
Landfills are classified into four categories:
• clean fill;
• Municipal solid waste landfill;
• Industrial waste landfill; and
• Hazardous waste landfill or hazardous waste containment facility.
1) CLEANFILL:
 A cleanfill, or inert waste landfill, is any landfill that accepts only cleanfill material
and inert wastes, including clean excavated natural materials.
 In general the only effective environmental controls on discharges to land and
water from cleanfills relate to waste acceptance criteria.
1) MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILL (MSWL)
 A sanitary landfill is a site where solid wastes are placed on or in the ground at a
carefully selected location by means of engineering techniques that minimize
pollution of air, water and soil, and other risks to man and animals.
 A municipal solid waste landfill (MSWL), also often referred to as a sanitary landfill,
is any landfill that accepts municipal solid waste.
 A sanitary landfill has low operating costs and can handle a huge amount of solid
waste.
 After a landfill has been filled, the sand can be graded, planted with grass and used
as a park, a golf course, an athletic field or some other recreational area.
3) INDUSTRIAL WASTE LANDFILL (IWL):
 An industrial waste landfill (IWL) is a landfill that is designed to accept
predominantly industrial waste.
 In many cases industrial waste landfills are Mono-fills, associated with a specific
industry or industrial location (for example mining, forestry and smelting) and
designed and operated in
Accordance with the specific wastes targeted.
 Design, operation and monitoring requirements may be more, or less, stringent
than for municipal solid waste landfills.
 An industrial waste landfill may also receive Municipal solid waste and inert waste,
depending on design.
4) HAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL (HWL):
 A hazardous waste landfill (HWL), or hazardous waste containment facility (HWCF) is
any landfill that accepts waste formally defined as “hazardous waste” in statutory
instruments, or as specifically determined through any special requirements that may
be set by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA).
THE RECLAMATION PROCESS:
Landfill reclamation is conducted in a number of ways, with the specific approach based on
project goals.

EXCAVATION:
 An excavator removes the contents of the landfill cell.
 A front-end loader then organizes the excavated materials into manageable stockpiles
and separates out bulky material, such as appliances and lengths of steel cable.

SOIL SEPARATION (SCREENING) :

 A trommel (i.e., a revolving cylindrical sieve) or vibrating screens separate soil
(including the cover material) from solid waste in the excavated material.
 The size and type of screen used depends on the end use of the recovered material.
  For example, if the reclaimed soil typically is used as landfill cover, a 2.5-inch screen is
used for separation.
 If, however, the reclaimed soil is sold as construction fill, or for another end use
requiring fill material with a high fraction of soil content,
 A smaller mesh screen is used to remove small pieces of metal, plastic, glass, and
paper.
PROCESSING FOR RECLAMATION OF RECYCLABLE MATERIAL OR DISPOSAL:
 Depending on local conditions, either the soil or the waste may be reclaimed.
 The separated soil can be used as fill material or as daily cover in a sanitary landfill.
 The excavated waste can be processed at a materials recovery facility to remove
valuable components (e.g., steel and aluminum) or burned in a municipal waste
combustor (MWC) to produce energy.
FINAL CAPPING SYSTEM:
In general, the landfills are capped with geo-textile polyethylene liner, overlaid by synthetic
geo-composite drainage layer and the soil to promote vegetation growth.

LEACHATE MANAGEMENT:
A leachate management system including pumping wells is in place for a restored landfill.
Collected leachate is being treated on site leachate treatment plant prior to disposal at
adjacent public sewers.
LANDFILL GAS MANAGEMENT:
 For safety and health reasons, a landfill gas management system is in place for a
restored landfill.
  Landfill gas is collected and treated on site. Some of the collected gas is utilized for
electricity generation for onsite use or thermal energy for leachate treatment.
 Excess gas is flared as far as practicable for complete destruction
MONITORING:
Regular monitoring of landfill gas, leachate, organic emission, noise, surface water,
marine water, dust and odour etc are carried out.
LANDSCAPING:
The surface of the landfills is landscaped with selected species of plant.
VEGETATION AT DUMPSITES:
 Natural or planted vegetation on a landfill has an important role in erosion control
and removal of contaminants, besides imparting aesthetic value.
 Plants are known to increase nutrient availability by secreting organic acids, or specific
enzymes such as phosphate into the soil systems.
 Competition for these nutrients by degrading and non-degrading species will influence
the amount of contaminant degraded.
 Increases in nutrient availability brought about by plant growth may be one
mechanism by which plants stimulate biodegradation.
 Besides increasing the availability of nutrients, plants may also increase the
bioavailability of the contaminant. This feature is of significance in the context of
landfill vegetation.
 A good starting point for selection of appropriate plant species for the remediation and
rehabilitation of dumpsites is to employ endemic species.
 Reviewing plant species occurring at different landfills facilitates the selection of
suitable plant species to deal with a range of contaminants together.
 It is interesting to note that the species diversity is influenced by the nature of origin of
wastes, local flora and the conditions prevailing at the landfill.
 Hence, a single species cannot be identified as a universal indicator and the plant
selection should be based on the climatic conditions and the native plants occurring in
a particular landfill.
 At Kodungaiyur and Perungudi dumping grounds in Chennai, India, the dominant
plant species recorded were Acalypa indica, Lycorpersicon esculentum, Parthenium
hysteroporus, Cynodon dactylon and Cucurbita maxima