Landfills paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Landfills - Term Paper Example A landfill must be easily accessible for transport by road. The land value is also considered during the construction of a landfill. Government requirements must be met. The community location is also another important factor in the design of a landfill (Tchobanoglous, 1993). Usually a landfill is built on a pit with existing holes being filled in the ground. A canyon is also a good place for building a landfill. The waste is piled above the ground using a mound. Geological stability is an important factor in the design of a landfill. Water table and location of rivers can also create stable landfills. The landform is compared with the restoration profile to calculate the capacity of the landfill. The amount of daily cover and density of wastes are factors that base the capacity. Other factors considered are the thickness of capping and construction of drainage layers. Intermediate cover and construction of lining layers is also important for the capacity of a landfill. Soil and water are protected using liner and collection systems. Protection is further achieved by storm water control, leachate management and landfill gas management. The costs for the design of a landfill are conducted by feasibility studies and site investigations. There are small areas for confining wastes in non hazardous waste landfills. Wastes are compacted to reduce their volume and covered with layers of soil (Tchobanoglous, 1993). A single cell is filled in the area for the landfill. Contamination by leachates migrating through the geological formation is prevented by a rubberized landfill liner that is exposed on the left. Waste collection vehicles are present at a weigh bridge. The load is inspected for wastes that are not in accord with the landfill's waste acceptance criteria. The load is unloaded at the existing road network. Dozers are used to spread and compact the waste. The wheel cleaning facility allows the waste collection vehicles to pass through. The daily waste tonnage is calculated and listed in databases during the weighing process. Many landfills have railroad containers. This allows landfills to be located at remote sites. Solid covers the waste in the landfill. There are alternative waste cover materials which can be sprayed on foam products. Temporary blankets, chipped wood and bio solids can also be used as daily cover. A daily cell is the space occupied by compacted waste and cover material. Waste compaction plays a vital role in extending the life of the landfill. Waste densities are affected by waste layer thickness and number of passes. Landfills have been developed using land re-use strategies. There are some adverse impacts of landfills. They can be fatal accidents and infrastructure damage. They can also cause pollution, contamination of ground water and harboring of disease vectors. Vehicles accessing a landfill can also generate environmental noise and dust. The best way to tackle these issues is during the planning stage. Access routes and landfill geometrics are beneficial in mitigating these issues. Daily cover protocols can be helpful in combating vector control (Tchobanoglous, 1993). A secure landfill is a carefully engineered depression in the ground. The aim is to prevent any hydraulic connection between the wastes and the surrounding environment. A bottom liner, leachate collection system, cover and hydro geologic