Ch. 6.

Sanitary Land
Filling

Sanitary Land Filling

Definition,
methods,
trench area, Ramp and pit
method, site selection,
basic steps involved, cell
design, prevention of site
pollution,
leachate
collection
and
control
methods, gas collection

Sanitary Land Filling

Sanitary landfilling, is the controlled
disposal of waste on the land.
Sanitary landfilling controls the
exposure of the environment and
humans to the detrimental effects of
solid wastes placed on the land.
Through sanitary landfilling, disposal
is accomplished in a way such that
contact between wastes and the
environment is significantly reduced,
and wastes are concentrated in a
well defined area.

Sanitary Land Filling

It is well suited to developing
countries as a means of managing
the disposal of wastes because of
the flexibility and relative simplicity
of the technology.
The practice of sanitary landfilling,
however, should be adopted in
accordance with other modern
waste management strategies that
emphasise
waste
reduction,
recycling,
and
sustainable
development.

Sanitary Land Filling

Currently, the implementation
and
practice
of
sanitary
landfilling
are
severely
constrained in economically
developing countries by the
lack of reliable information
specific to these countries, as
well as by a shortage of
capital and properly trained
human resources.

Sanitary Land Filling

Sanitary Landfill is the
isolation of the landfilled
wastes from the environment
until
the
wastes
are
rendered innocuous through
the biological, chemical, and
physical processes of nature.

Sanitary Land Filling

In order to be designated
a
sanitary
landfill,
a
disposal site must meet
the
following
three
general
but
basic
conditions:
1)Compaction
of
the
wastes,
2)Daily covering of the

Sanitary Land Filling

3) Control and prevention of
negative impacts on the
public health and on the
environment (e.g., odours,
contaminated
water
supplies, etc.).

Landfilling of Municipal Solid Waste

Landfilling will be done for the

following types of waste:
(i) Comingled waste (mixed
waste) not found suitable for
waste processing;
(ii) Pre-processing and postprocessing rejects from waste
processing sites;
(iii) Non-hazardous waste not
being processed or recycled.

Landfilling of Municipal Solid

Waste

Landfilling will usually not be done

for the following waste streams in
the municipal solid waste:
(i) Biomedical waste/garden waste;
(ii) Dry recyclables

Landfilling of hazardous waste

stream in the municipal waste
will be done at a hazardous
waste landfill site

Effects of Dumping of Municipal Solid

Waste without Sanitary Landfill

The
impact
of
dumping
municipal solid waste on
land
without
any
containment
(a)
Groundwater
contamination
through
leachate
(b)
Surface
water

Effects of Dumping of Municipal Solid

Waste without Sanitary Landfill

(c) Air contamination due

to gases, litter, dust, bad
odour
(d) Other problems due to
rodents, pests, fire, bird
menace,
slope
failure,
erosion etc.

Merits of Sanitary Landfill

Landfills
minimise
the
harmful impact of solid waste
on the environment by the
following mechanisms
(a) Isolation of waste through
containment;
(b)
Elimination of polluting
pathways;

Merits of Sanitary
Landfill

(c) Controlled collection

and treatment of products
of physical, chemical and
biological changes within
a waste dump both
liquids and gases; and
(d)
Environmental
monitoring till the waste
becomes stable.