Classification of Landfill

Landfill classification, types and methods

Classification Types of waste

I Hazardous waste
II Designated waste
(nonhazardous waste)
III Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Types of landfills

Landfills can be classified as

1. Conventional landfills for commingled MSW
2. Landfills for milled solid wastes
3. Monofills for designated or specialized wastes
 Types of Landfill
Landfill Types
(1) Moisture
– Dry LF - keep waste dry to limit biological activity
– Wet LF - leachate recirculation used to moisten waste, bioreactor
(2) Use
– Municipal (sanitary)
– Hazardous
– Controlled LF - co-disposal
(3) Configuration
– Above ground LF - catch pan design - 3:1 or 4:1 slope
– Under ground LF - valley or depression used
(4) Special LF
– Conventional
– LF for milled (shredded) SW (35% greater in place density, daily cover
not required)
– ”Mono-fill” LF - specialized cells - aesbestos, incinerator ash, anaerobic
decomp of yard waste
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
1. Landfills for Commingled (Mixed) MSW
To obtain additional
In many of these class III landfills, limited amount landfill capacity, abdoned
of nonhazardous industrial waste and sludge and or closed landfills in
from water and wastewater treatment plant are some locations are being
also accepted. reused by excavating the
decomposed material to
In many cases, treatment plant sludges are recover the metals and
accepted if they are dewatered to solids content using the decomposed
of 51 percent or greater. residue as a daily cover
for the new waste.

In most cases, native soil is used as the In some case, the

intermediate and final cover material. decomposed wastes are
excavated and stockpiled
It is limited than used alternative materials like and a liner is installed
compost produced from yard wastes and MSW, before the landfill is
foam, old rugs and carpeting, dredging spoils, reactivated.
and demolition wastes .
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
2. Landfill for shredded solid waste
Landfilling involves shredding of the solid wastes before placement in a
landfill.

Shredded (or milled) waste can be placed at up to 35 percent greater

density than un shredded waste, and without daily cover.

Blowing litter, odors, flies, and rate have not been significant problems.

Because shredded waste can be compacted to a tighter and more uniform

surface, a reduced amount of soil cover or some other cover material may
be sufficient to control infiltration of water during the filling operation.
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
Disadvantages:

• It requires shredding facility.

• Need to operate a conventional landfill section for wastes that can not be
easily shredded.

Application:
• Use where landfill capacity is very expensive (because of the greater
compaction obtained)

• Suitable cover material is not readily available

• Precipitation is very low or highly seasonal

• Shredded waste can also be used to produce compost that can be used as
intermediate cover material
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
3. Landfills for individual waste constituents

• Monofills: Landfills for individual waste constituents are known as Monofills.

• Combustion ash, asbestos, and other similar wastes are often identified as
designated wastes are placed in Monofills to isolate them form materials
placed in MSW landfills.

• Because combustion ash contains small amounts of unburned organic

material, the production of odors from the reduction of sulfate has been a
problem in Monofills used for combustion ash.

• In Monofills used for combustion ash, the installation of a gas recovery

system is recommended to control odor problems.
 Disposal of Solid Wastes and Residual Matter (Cont.)
(4) Other types of landfills

In addition to the conventional methods of land filling, other specialized

methods of land filling designated to enhance different goals of landfill
management are being developed

(i) Landfills designed to maximize the rate of landfill gas generation

• If the quantity of landfill gas that is produced and recovered from the
anaerobic decomposition of solid wastes is to be maximized,
specialized landfill designs will be required.

• The use of deep, individual lined cells, in which wastes are placed
without intermediate layers of cover material and Leachate is recycled
to enhance the biological decomposition process

Disadvantages:
• Problem of disposed of excess Leachate
 Disposal of Solid Wastes and Residual Matter (Cont.)
(ii) Landfills operated as integrated solid waste treatment units

• In this method of operation, the organic constituents would be separated out

and placed in a separate landfill where the biodegradation rates would be
enhanced by increasing the moisture content of the waste, either by
recycling Leachate or by seeding with digested waste water treatment plant
sludge or animal manure.

• The degraded material would be excavated and used as cover material for
new fill areas, and the excavated cell would be filled with new waste.
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
(iii) Landfills in wetland areas

• Landfilling in wetland areas such as swamps, marshes and tidal areas was
acceptable if adequate drainage was provided and if nuisance condition did
not developed.

• In filling wetlands was to divide the area into cells or lagoons and schedule
the filling operations so that one individual cell or lagoon would be filled
each year.

• Solid wastes were placed directly in the water.

• Alternatively, clean fill material was added up to or slightly above, the water
levels before waste filling operations were started.
 Types of Landfill (cont.)
(iii) Landfills in wetland areas

• To withstand mud waves and to increase structural stability, dikes dividing

the cells or lagoons were constructed with riprap, trees, tree limbs, lumber,
demolition wastes and similar materials in addition to clean fill material.

• To prevent the movement of Leachate and gases from completed cells or

lagoons, clay and light weight interlocking steel or wood-sheet piling has
been used.
 Landfill Operation Issues
Once a potential site has been identified/selected, an assessment of design
aspects including costs for civil works begins.

Important issues to be looked into in this regard are

• land requirements
• types of wastes that are handled,
• evaluation of seepage potential,
• design of drainage and seepage control facilities,
• development of a general operation plan,
• design of solid waste filling plan and
• determination of equipment requirements.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
1) Design and construction

The design and construction process involves site infrastructure i.e., the
position of the buildings, roads and facilities that are necessary to the
efficient running of the site and site engineering i.e. the basic engineering
works needed to shape the site for the reception of wastes and to meet
the technical requirements of the working plan.

(i) Site infrastructure

The size, type and number of buildings required at a landfill depend on

factors such as the level of waste input, the expected life of the site and
environmental factors.

Depending on the size and complexity of the landfill, buildings range from
single portable cabins to big complexes.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
All landfill sites need to control and keep records of vehicles entering and
leaving the site and have a weighbridge to record waste input data which
can be analysed by a site control office.

Note that at small sites, the site control office can be accommodated at
the site itself.

(ii) Earthworks:

Various features of landfill operations may require substantial earthworks,

and therefore, the working plan must include earthworks to be carried out
before wastes can be deposited.

Details about earthworks gain significance, if artificial liners are to be

installed, which involves grading the base and sides of the site (including
construction of 25 slopes to drain leachate to the collection areas) and the
formation of embankments.

Material may also have to be placed in stockpiles for later use at the site.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
The cell method of operation requires the construction of cell walls.

At some sites, it may be necessary to construct earth banks around the

site perimeter to screen the landfill operations from the public.

Trees or shrubs may then be planted on the banks to enhance the

screening effect.

The construction of roads leading to disposal sites also involves

earthworks.

(iii) Lining landfill sites

Where the use of a liner is envisaged, the suitability of a site for lining
should be evaluated at the site investigation stage.

However, they should not be installed, until the site has been properly
prepared.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
The area to be lined should be free of objects likely to cause physical
damage to the liner such as vegetation and hard rocks.

If synthetic liner materials are used, a binding layer of suitable fine-

grained material should be laid to support the liner.

However, if the supporting layer consists of low permeable material (e.g.,

clay), the synthetic liner must be placed on top of this layer.

A layer of similar fine-grained material with the thickness of 25 – 30 cm

should also be laid above the liner to protect it from subsequent
mechanical and environmental damage.

During the early phase of operation, particular care should be taken to

ensure that the traffic does not damage the liner.

Monitoring the quality of groundwater close to the site is necessary to get

the feedback on the performance of a liner.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(iv) Leachate and landfill gas management:

The basic elements of the leachate collection system (i.e. drain pipes,
drainage layers, collection pipes, sumps etc.) must be installed
immediately above the liner, before any waste is deposited.

Particular care must also be taken to prevent the drain and collection
pipes from settling.

During landfill operations, waste cells are covered with soil to avoid
additional contact between waste and the environment.

The soil layers have to be sufficiently permeable to allow downward

leachate transport.

Landfill gas is not extracted before completion which includes construction

of final cover of the waste body.

Extraction wells (diameter 0.3 to 1.0 m) may be constructed during or after

operation.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(v) Landfill capping:

Capping is required to control and minimise leachate generation (by

minimising water ingress into the landfill) and facilitate landfill gas control
or collection (by installing a low permeability cap over the whole site).

A cap may consist of natural (e.g. clay) or synthetic (e.g., poly-ethylene)

material with thickness of at least 1 m.

An uneven settlement of the waste may be a major cause of cap failure.

Designs for capping should therefore include consideration of leachate

and landfill gas collection wells or vents.

For the cap to remain effective, it must be protected from agricultural

machinery, drying and cracking, plant root penetration, burrowing animals
and erosion.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
2) Operation

To secure public acceptability, landfill operations require careful planning

and determination of the extent of environmental effects.

The basic factor influencing the planning of site operations is the nature
and quantity of incoming wastes.

The various aspects of this include the following:

(i) Methods of filling:

The following variations in land filling techniques are

1. Excavated cell/trench method

2. Area method
3. Cell method
4. Canyon/Depression Method
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(1) Excavated cell/Trench Method

• The Excavated cell/trench method of land filling is suited to areas where

adequate depth of cover material is available at the site and where the
water table is not near the surface.

• Solid waste are placed in cells or trenches excavated in the soil.

• The soil excavated from the site is used for daily and final cover.

• The excavated cells or trenches are lined with synthetic membrane liners or
low permeability clay or a combination of the two to limit the movement of
both landfill gases and Leachate.

• Excavated cells are square, up to 1000 ft in width and length, with side
slopes of 1.5:1 to 2:1.

• Trenches vary from 200 to 1000 ft in length, 3 to 10 ft in depth, and 15 to 50

ft in width.
Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)

Excavated cell/Trench Method

 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
Note:
In some state, landfills constructed below the high groundwater level are
allowed if special provisions are made to prevent groundwater from entering
the landfill and to contain or eliminate the movement of leachate and gases
from completed cells.

Usually the site is dewatered, excavated and then lined in compliance with local
regulations.

Excavation method:
Ground water table (GWT) is distant from surface
Trenches are excavated, L=100-400 ft, W=15-25 ft,
D=10-15 ft
SW is dumped into trenches
Tractors/compactors spread & compact refuse by
pushing it up the working face - multiple passes are made
to maximize compaction
Soil cover is placed on refuse, obtained from excavation
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(2) Area Method

• The area method is used when the terrain is unstable for the excavation of
cells or trenches in which to place the solid wastes.

• High ground water condition then use area-type landfills.

• Site preparation include the installation of a liner and leachate control

system.

• Cover material must be hauled in by truck or earth moving equipment from

adjacent land or from borrow pit areas.

• In locations with limited availability of material that can be used as cover,

compost produced from yard wastes and MSW has been used as
intermediate cover material.

• Other technique that have been used include the use of movable temporary
cover materials such as soil and geo membrane.
Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)

Area Method
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)

Soil and geo

membranes
placed
temporarily over
a completed
cell can be
removed before
the next lift is
begun.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
3) Canyon/Depression method

• Canyons, ravines, dry borrow pits have been used for landfills.

• The techniques to place and compact solid wastes in canyon/depression

landfills vary with the geometry of the site, the characteristics of the
available cover material, the hydrology and geology of the site, the type of
leachate and gas control facilities to be used and the access to the site.

• Control of surface drainage is critical factor in the development of

canyon/depression sites.

• Filling for each lifts starts at the head end of the canyon and ends at the
mouth so as to prevent the accumulation of water behind the landfill.

• Canyon/depression sites are filled in multiple lifts and the method of

operation is essentially the same as the area method.
• If canyon floor is flat, the initial land filling may be carried out using the
excavated/trench method.
Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)

Canyon/Depression method
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)

(a) trench (b) area and (c) canyon/depression methods

 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(ii) Refuse placement:

The working space should be sufficiently extensive to permit vehicles to

move and unload quickly and safely without impeding refuse spreading and
allow easy operation of the site equipment.

Depositing waste in thin layers and using a compactor enables a high waste
density to be achieved.

Each progressive layer should not be more than 30 cm thick.

The number of passes by a machine over the waste determines the level of
compaction.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(iii) Covering of waste:

At the end of each working day, all exposed surfaces including the flanks
and working space should be covered with a suitable inert material to a
depth of at least 15 cm.

This daily cover is considered essential, as it minimises windblown litter and

helps reduce odours.

Cover material may be obtained from on-site excavations or inert waste

materials coming to the site.

Pulverised fuel ash or sewage sludge can also be used for this purpose.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(iv) Site equipment and workforce orientation:

The equipment most commonly used on landfill sites includes steel

wheeled compactors, tracked dozers, loaders, earthmovers and hydraulic
excavators.

Scrapers are used for excavating and moving cover materials.

In addition to appropriate equipment, proper training must be ensured for

the workforce.

They should be competent, and adequately supervised; training should

include site safety and first aid.

Since a landfill site may pose dangers to both site operators and users, it is
necessary to lay down emergency plans and test them from time to time
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
3) Monitoring

Landfill represents a complex process of transforming polluting wastes into

environmentally acceptable deposits.

Because of the complexity of these processes and their potential

environmental effects, it is imperative to monitor and confirm that the landfill
works, as expected.

A monitoring scheme, for example, is required for collecting detailed

information on the development of leachate and landfill gas within and
beyond a landfill.

The scheme should be site specific, drawn at the site investigation stage
and implemented.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
Monitoring is generally done for the following:
(i) Leachate/gas:

Monitoring of leachate/gas plays a vital role in the management of landfills.

Data on the volume of leachate/gas and their composition are essential for
proper control of leachate/gas generation and its treatment.

Knowledge of the chemical composition of leachate/gas is also required to

confirm that attenuation processes within the landfill are proceeding as
expected.

Various systems for monitoring the leachate level are in use, and are
mostly based on pipes installed prior to land filling.

Note that small bore perforated plastic pipes are relatively cheaper and
easier to install, but have the disadvantage of getting damaged faster
during infilling.

Placing pipes within a column or tyres may, however, offer some protection.
 Landfill Operation Issues (Cont.)
(ii) Groundwater:

A continued groundwater-monitoring programme for confirming the integrity

of the liner system is essential.

At an early stage of site preparation, therefore, a number of monitoring

boreholes need to be provided around the site.

However, the location, design and number of boreholes depend on the size
of the landfill, proximity to an aquifer, geology of the site and types of
wastes deposited.

Installation of a double liner system can make the monitoring exercise more
accurate and easier to perform. Water should be regularly flushed through
the secondary leachate collection system.

In case this water is polluted, the primary leachate barrier will be damaged,
and if repair is not considered possible, the leachate collected must be
transported to the leachate treatment facility.

 Leachate Formation
Leachate can pollute both groundwater and surface water supplies.

The degree of pollution will depend on local geology and hydrogeology,

nature of waste and the proximity of susceptible receptors.

Once groundwater is contaminated, it is very costly to clean it up. Landfills,

therefore, undergo siting, design and construction procedures that control
leachate migration.

Composition and properties

Leachate comprises soluble components of waste and its degradation
products enter water, as it percolates through the landfill.

The amount of leachate generated depends on:

• water availability;
• landfill surface condition;
• refuse state;
• condition of surrounding strata.
 Leachate Formation
The major factor, i.e., water availability, is affected by precipitation, surface
runoff, waste decomposition and liquid waste disposal. The water balance
equation for landfill requires negative or zero (“Lo”) so that no excess
leachate is produced. This is calculated using the following formula:
Lo = I – E – aW
i.e. I – E < aW
where, Lo = free leachate retained at site (equivalent to leachate production
minus leachate leaving the site); I = total liquid input;
E = evapotranspiration losses; a = absorption capacity of waste;
W = weight of waste disposed.

Common toxic components in leachate are ammonia and heavy metals,

which can be hazardous even at low levels, if they accumulate in the food
chain.
The presence of ammonical nitrogen means that leachate often has to be
treated off-site before being discharged to a sewer, since there is no natural
bio-chemical path for its removal.

Leachate composition varies with time and location

 Leachate Migration
It is generally difficult to predict the movement of escaped leachate
accurately.

The main controlling factors are the surrounding geology and hydrogeology.

Escape to surface water may be relatively easy to control, but if it escapes

to groundwater sources, it can be very difficult both to control and clean up.

The degree of groundwater contamination is affected by physical, chemical

and biological actions.

The relative importance of each process may change, however, if the

leachate moves from the landfill to the sub-surface region.
 Leachate Migration
Control

The best way to control leachate is through prevention, which should be

integral to the site design.

In most cases, it is necessary to control liquid access, collection and treatment,

all of which can be done using the following landfill liners:

Natural liners: These refer to compacted clay or shale, bitumen or soil

sealants, etc., and are generally less permeable, resistant to chemical attack
and have good sorption properties.

They generally do not act as true containment barriers, because sometimes

leachate migrates through them.
 Leachate Migration
Synthetic (geo-membrane) liners:

These are typically made up of high or medium density polyethylene and

are generally less permeable, easy to install, relatively strong and have
good deformation characteristics.

They sometimes expand or shrink according to temperature and age.

Note that natural and geo-membrane liners are often combined to enhance
the overall efficiency of the containment system.

Some of the leachate collection systems include impermeable liner,

granular material, collection piping, leachate storage tank; leachate is
trucked to a wastewater treatment facility.
 Leachate Migration
Treatment
Concentrations of various substances occurring in leachate are too high to
be discharged to surface water or into a sewer system.

These concentrations, therefore, have to be reduced by removal, treatment

or both.

The various treatments of leachate include:

Leachate recirculation: It is one of the simplest forms of treatment.
Recirculation of leachate reduces the hazardous nature of leachate and
helps wet the waste, increasing its potential for biological degradation.

Biological treatment: This removes BOD, ammonia and suspended solids.

Leachate from land filled waste can be readily degraded by biological
means, due to high content of volatile fatty acids (VFAs).
 Leachate Migration
The common methods are aerated lagoons (i.e., special devices which
enhance the aerobic processes of degradation of organic substances over the
entire depth of the tank) and activated sludge process, which differs from
aerated lagoons in that discharged sludge is recirculated and is often used for
BOD and ammonia removal.

While under conditions of low COD, rotating biological contactors (i.e., biomass
is brought into contact with circular blades fixed to a common axle which is
rotated) are very effective in removing ammonia.

In an anaerobic treatment system, complex organic molecules are fermented in

filter. The common types are anaerobic filters, anaerobic lagoon and digesters.
 Leachate Migration

Physicochemical treatment:

After biological degradation, effluents still contain significant concentrations

of different substances.

Physicochemical treatment processes could be installed to improve the

leachate effluent quality.

Some of these processes are flocculation-precipitation. (Note that addition

of chemicals to the water attracts the metal by floc formation).

Separation of the floc from water takes place by sedimentation, adsorption

and reverse osmosis.