Environmental Impacts of Solid Waste Landfilling

Inevitable consequences of the practice of solid waste disposal in landfills are gas and leachate generation due primarily to microbial decomposition, climatic conditions, refuse characteristics and landfilling operations. The migration of gas and leachate away from the landfill boundaries and their release into the surrounding environment present serious environmental concerns at both existing and new facilities. Besides potential health hazards, these concerns include, and are not limited to, fires and explosions, vegetation damage, unpleasant odors, landfill settlement, ground water pollution, air pollution and global warming. This paper presents an overview of gas and leachate formation mechanisms in landfills and their adverse environmental impacts, and describes control methods to eliminate or minimize these impacts.