Solid waste characteristics in an operating landfill in a developing country

Sustainable and environmentally sound solid waste management has been the target of developed countries over the last decade. Nevertheless, developing countries such as Kuwait are still struggling to achieve this goal. The major method of solid waste disposal prevailing in Kuwait is open dumping in abandoned sand quarries. A detailed laboratory testing program was carried out to determine the characteristics of the waste material in an operating landfill at Al-Sulaybiyah, Kuwait. Samples were taken from ten boreholes in the East-West direction of the landfill. Laboratory work included determination of 30 chemical parameters such as BOD, COD, nitrogen, heavy metals, etc. The results indicated that the samples were mostly decomposed solid waste as measured by organics (BOD, COD) and nutrients. However, the low BOD/COD ratios showed that the organic matter in the landfill was not easily biodegradable and thus will decompose slowly. Water content and salinity were also high reflecting the possible intrusion (infiltration) of subsurface water into the solid waste layer. The concentration of metals in samples was found to be generally high with concentration increasing with depth especially for Fe, Ca, Co, Mg, V, K, Na and Ba. Heavy metals like Mo, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Be, Al, Hg and Sr were also present in considerable quantities in the tested solid waste samples. It is recommended that a suitable system at Al-Sulaybiyah landfill be established that will help to control the release of harmful gases and leachate into the environment.