From SWANA’s Executive Summary
A new report developed by the SWANA Applied Research Foundation (ARF) addresses two important questions associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) at landfills.
What tasks will be required to manage closed landfills following the post-closure care period to ensure continued protection of public health and the environment?
How will those associated costs be paid for?
Subtitle D regulations require that the post-closure care period is maintained and the environmental protection systems are managed and monitored—it should be 30 years in length, but the period is determined by the state regulatory agency that issued the landfill permit. Once the post-closure period ends, the closed landfill enters into a new status, which SWANA defines as the “Long-Term Management,” or LTM period. EPA’s Subtitle D regulations don’t address monitoring and maintenance activities required during this period.
Based on the ARF’s research, the new report offers conclusions regarding the long-term management of MSW landfills during the LTM period. Some include best practices, but ARF also had some interesting conclusions related to final cover geomembranes and looking to landfills as longer-term assets.
The full report, The Long-Term Management of Closed MSW Landfills Following the Post-Closure Care Period, is currently available only to SWANA ARF subscribers. SWANA members receive free access to ARF industry reports one year after publication.
Contact your SCS Engineers Project Manager or local office for information on best practices.
