Landfills

Sudhanshu Sekhar Panda

In the United States, 228 million metric tons per year of trash/solid waste materials are generated at an astonishing rate of 4.6 pounds (2.1 kilograms) per day per person. It is twice the amount generated by other major developed countries in the world. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 32.5 percent of solid waste is recycled, 12.5 percent is burned, and the rest—55 percent—is buried in landfills. Landfills used by a single producer to bury their own waste at the place of production are known as internal waste disposal landfills. Landfills in urban settings are used by many producers and are known as municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs). They receive solid wastes from households or commercial operations and nonhazardous sludge, industrial solid waste, and construction and demolition debris. MSWLFs are carefully designed structures built into or on top of the ground for solid waste disposal, so that the ...

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