Open dumpsites have a devastating impact on the environment and public health. Waste Management World spoke to James Law, Chair of the ISWA Landfill Working Group and the Task Force on Closing Dumpsites Initiative, about the key steps and economics of closing dumpsites, the climate benefits, and the pros and cons of biomining.
James Law explains that since the operation of a dumpsite does not include the application of daily cover or waste compaction and also it does not have a bottom liner or gas and leachate collection system, the most common risks are groundwater contamination, fire hazards that could generate black carbon fume and toxic gases to impact the air quality and thus affect the public health in the immediate area or areas miles away in downwind direction.
The gas emissions from open dumpsites have a direct impact on climate change. Then there are odor issues, either from the decomposed waste mass itself or from the leachate seep outbreaks located on the side slopes of a dumpsite. The leachate seeps will impact the surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes nearby in the downstream direction as well as the groundwater below the dumpsite. Most dumpsites have people or informal waste pickers on them. Therefore they have a direct impact on their health and safety point of view.
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Waste Management & Research (WM&R) is offering a selection of papers published in WM&R covering a range of relevant state of the art developments in emission reductions. They supplement recent developments with important publications that elaborate on related matters and contribute to making the case for a sound waste management that expressly and substantially supports reduction and control of GHG emissions. We hope that academic researchers and practitioners alike will benefit from this offer.
ABSTRACT: This article reports on how management approaches influence methane emissions from landfills. The project team created various landfill operational scenarios for different regions of the planet with respect to waste composition, organic waste reduction and landfill gas recovery timing. These scenarios were modelled by applying a basic gas generation model according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations. In general, the IPCC’s recommended modelling parameters and default values were used. Based on the modelling undertaken, two options stand out as being the most effective methane mitigation measures in a wide range of conditions throughout the world: (a) early gas recovery and (b) reduction of the amount of biodegradable organic waste accepted in a landfill. It is noted that reduction of organic input to any given landfill can take many years to realize. Moreover, suitable alternative processing or disposal options for the organic waste can be unaffordable for a significant percentage of the planet’s population. Although effective, organic waste reduction cannot therefore be the only landfill methane mitigation measure. Early landfill gas recovery can be very effective by applying basic technologies that can be deployed relatively quickly, and at modest cost. Policymakers and regulators from around the globe can significantly reduce adverse environmental impacts from landfill gas emissions by stimulating both the early capture and flaring and/or energy recovery of landfill gas and programs to reduce the inflow of organic waste into landfills. [CIT]
Meet Co-Author Bob Dick: Bob is a Senior Vice President and the Business Unit Director of SCS Engineer’s Mid-Atlantic operations, stretching from Maine to South Carolina. He is also one of our National Experts on Elevated Temperature Landfills. He has over three decades of experience on civil and environmental engineering projects related to solid waste management, and has performed landfill and landfill gas engineering projects (design, permitting, construction, and operations) in more than 15 states and several foreign countries. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and North Carolina, a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE), and a member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
Bob has also directed and completed numerous project assignments related to solid waste planning and facility projects which have involved residential and commercial collection and recycling programs, as well as convenience centers, composting facilities, and material recovery facility design, permitting, construction, and operations consulting. He has authored several publications and made numerous presentations on air quality, solid waste management, landfill engineering and LFG management/control, design/operations, GHG emissions, composting, and regulatory compliance.
