UNIT III SECURE LANDFILLS

Hazardous waste landfills - Site selections -

landfill design and operation - Regulatory
aspects - Liner System - Cover system -
Leachate Collection and Management -
Environmental Monitoring System - Landfill
Closure and post closure care

1
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Hazardous waste landfills
• In terms of hazardous waste, a landfill is defined as a disposal
facility or part of a facility where hazardous waste is placed in or
on land and which is not a pile, a land treatment facility, a surface
impoundment, an underground injection well, a salt dome
formation, a salt bed formation, an underground mine, a cave, or a
corrective action management unit.
• A hazardous waste landfill is a treatment, storage, and disposal
facility (TSDF) and as such must be appropriately permitted and
the permit will specify all design and operating practices necessary
to ensure compliance.

2
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Landfill Controls
• All hazardous waste landfills are required to have a run-on control
system, a runoff management system, and control the wind
dispersal of particulate matter.
• The run-on control system must have the capacity to prevent flow
onto the active portion of the landfill during peak discharge of a
25-yr storm and the runoff management system must have an
adequate capacity to collect and control water from a 24-h, 25-yr
storm and the contents tested to determine correct disposal
methodology.
• The collection and holding tanks or basins for run-on and runoff
control systems must be emptied expeditiously after storms.

3
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Documentation

For each hazardous waste landfill there must be a map with the
exact location and dimensions, including depth of each cell with
respect to permanently surveyed benchmarks. The contents of
each cell and the approximate location of each hazardous waste
type within the cell must be recorded.

4
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Landfill Contents

Bulk or noncontainerized liquid waste or waste containing free liquids

must not be placed in the landfill. The exemption to this rule is that
containers holding free liquids may only be placed in a landfill if they
meet one of the following standards:
• All free-standing liquid has been:
 Removed by decanting, or other methods
 Mixed with sorbent or solidified so that free-standing liquid is
no longer observed otherwise eliminated.
 The container is very small, such as an ampule
 The container is designed to hold free liquids for use other than
storage (for example, a battery or capacitor)
• The container is a lab pack.

5
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Closure

• The final cover of a hazardous waste landfill must be

designed and constructed for the long term to:
 Minimize migration of liquids through the closed landfill
 Function with minimum maintenance
 Promote drainage and minimize erosion or abrasion of
the cover
 Tolerate settling and subsidence so that the cover's
integrity is maintained
 Have a permeability less than or equal to the
permeability of the bottom liner system or natural
subsoil present.

6
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Post closure

• During post closure the integrity and effectiveness of the final

cover must be maintained, including making repairs to the cap
(cover) as necessary to correct the effects of settling, subsidence,
erosion, or other disruptive events.

• During post closure all leak detection systems and groundwater

monitoring system are required to be maintained.

• Post closure care usually lasts 30 years after closure.

7
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Hazardous waste landfill

8
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Site selections

(i) Earmarking a 'search area' taking into account the location of the waste generation
units and a 'search radius' (typically 5 to 250 km). The search area will be so
chosen that it minimizes the number of HW landfills in any region or state.

(ii) Identification of a list of potential sites on the basis

(iii) Collection of preliminary data

(iv) Assessment of public perception for the two sites

(v) Selection of final site

(vi) The above site selection procedure shall not be applicable for location of facility
within industrial areas of State Industrial Development Agencies. However, EIA
requirement will apply.

9
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Landfill design

10
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Liner System

• Leachate control within a landfill involves the following steps: (a) prevention of

migration of leachate from landfill sides and landfill base to the subsoil by a suitable

liner system; and (b) drainage of leachate collected at the base of a landfill to the

side of the landfill and removal of the leachate from within the landfill.

• On a basis of review of liner systems adopted in different countries and in

consideration with Indian conditions, it is recommended that for all HW landfills the

liner system criteria adopted in consultation with SPCB/PCC and commensurate

with local area specified needs.

11
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Single liner

12
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Composite-Liner Systems

13
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Double-Liner Systems

14
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Leachate Drainage, Collection and Removal

15
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 The design of following components should
be undertaken

• (a) leachate pipe and leachate trench network

• (b) leachate sumps and pumps

• (c) leachate wells/side slope riser

• (d) leachate holding tank

• (e) backwashing/backflushing arrangement to prevent clogging/choking/head loss.

• The material used for pipes etc., should be such that it is not affected by the

leachate quality.

16
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Leachate Management

17
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 • The following alternatives shall be considered
for leachate management

• Offsite treatment of leachate

• Onsite treatment of leachate

• Recirculation

18
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Final Cover System

A final landfill cover, comprising of several layers, each with a

specific function shall be installed after each landfill phase
reaches the full height. The final cover system shall enhance
surface drainage, minimize infiltration, support vegetation to
prevent erosion and control the release of landfill gases. On the
basis of a review of HW landfill covers adopted in different
countries and in consideration with Indian Conditions the cover
system adopted in consultation with SPCB/PCC and
commensurate with local area specified needs.
19
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Final cover system

20
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Environmental Monitoring System
Monitoring is the collection and analysis of data (chemical, physical,
and/or biological) over a sufficient period of time and frequency to
determine the status and/or trend in one or more environmental
parameters or characteristics. Monitoring should not produce a “snapshot
in time” measurement, but rather should involve repeated sampling over
time in order to define the trends in the parameters of interest relative to
clearly defined management objectives. Monitoring may collect abiotic
and/or biotic data using well-defined methods and/or endpoints. These
data, methods, and endpoints should be directly related to the
management objectives for the site in question.

21
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Monitoring and Its Objectives
Many types of monitoring may be conducted at a site, such as detection
monitoring (to detect changes in ambient conditions), compliance
monitoring (to evaluate compliance with regulatory requirements), and
remedial monitoring (to evaluate remedy effectiveness). Depending on
the nature of the site, one or more types of monitoring may be necessary
and each type will have its own monitoring objectives.

• As previously stated, the objectives of a Monitoring Plan will depend

directly on the specific site activity and associated management
objectives. Monitoring objectives may therefore address the following:

22
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 • Evaluation of remedy effectiveness and protection of human health

and the environment;

• Evaluation of contaminant migration;

• Evaluation of effectiveness of habitat mitigation; or

• Compliance with regulatory requirements.

23
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Landfill monitoring system

24
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Closure and Post-Closure Maintenance
Plan
• A statement on the end-use of landfill site is an essential
part of the plan for landfill closure and post-closure
maintenance. Some possible uses of closed landfill sites
near urban centres include parking area, recreational
• area etc. A closed landfill should be aesthetically
landscaped.
• A closure and post-closure plan for HW landfills must be
evolved and should indicate the following components:
 Plan for vegetative stabilization of the final landfill cover
and side slopes.

25
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
  Plan for management of surface water run-off with an effective

drainage system.

 Plan for periodical inspection and maintenance of landfill cover

and facilities.

 Plan for post-closure management of leachate and gas

 Plan for post-closure environment monitoring.

26
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Closure

27
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Closure Plans
• All closure plans must include:
 A description of how each hazardous waste management unit will be
closed.
 A description of how final closure of the facility will be achieved.
 An estimate of the maximum amount of hazardous waste kept on site
during the facility’s operating life.
 A detailed description of closure methods, including waste removal and
site decontamination.
 A description of any other required steps, such as groundwater
monitoring and leachate management.
 A schedule of closure dates, including closure dates for each unit and
the entire facility.

28
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Post-Closure Care

29
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Post-Closure plan
In applying for a permit, the facility must complete and submit
a post-closure care plan. This plan includes:

 A description of the planned groundwater monitoring

program.

 A description of planned maintenance activities for the

waste containment systems (e.g., liners, final covers,
leachate management systems).

 Contact information during the required post-closure care

period.
30
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup
 Landfill liner and cover criteria

31
PPT 10-hr. General Industry – Hazardous Materials v.03.01.17 Created by OTIEC Outreach Resources Workgroup