Dump
- Landfill can also refer to Land reclamation. This article refers to its use for a waste dump.
A landfill is an area designated to receive solid wastes, such as municiple solid waste (household trash), construction debris, and sludges from sewage treatment and other processes.
To reduce smells, vermin, and other health hazards, a layer of dirt, preferably an impermiable clay, is spread over each layer of garbage.
Modern well-run landfills are also lined with plastic or bentonite clay to prevent toxic leachates from entering the groundwater. They also usually have methane wells to safely exhaust methane from the deepest parts. In many modern landfills, this methane is piped to a generator and used to make electricity.
Some local landfill authorities have found it difficult to locate nearby landfill areas. Most areas in most countries do not have this problem. For many areas, a well-run land-fill is a hygienic, inexpensive solution to garbage disposal. Poorly run landfills can pollute both air and groundwater.
Ecological activists dislike landfills not only because of the potential pollution, but because they permanently remove a potential source of raw materials from economic use. Not only are the materials are wasted, but also all of the energy and natural resources (such as water) that are used to process them. This is said to contribute to damage of forests, and agricultural areas, including in less-developed countries that derive a majority of their export revenues from raw materials.
However, recycled used materials compete in the marketplace with new materials. Most of the discarded materials are low in value, making it difficult to profit from their sale. This in turn reduced motivation to recycle.
Living close to a landfill is considered by many people to be very undesirable, therefore most landfills are built a reasonable distance away from most civilization, starting from .25 of a mile. Environmental pollution of land, air, and water created by the world's poorly-managed landfills is enormous.
In eras before the mid-20th century, landfills were the main method of waste management. In the late-20th century, alternative methods to waste disposal have been suggested, including recycling, biodegradable products, and sustainable development, which assist in reducing global pollution.
Some countries with high population densities, such as the UK, tax landfills.
