What does it mean when one refers to a sustainable landfill? We know that landfills when selected must be properly sited, engineered and operated in accordance with legislation and prevailing regulations.

Landfill is an accepted methodology for waste disposal in South Africa. The regulations that have governed landfill disposal have changed dramatically since 1989 when the Environmental Conservation Act was promulgated and 1994 when the first Minimum Requirements were published.

Sustainable landfills are regarded as landfills where the use air space, biological processes are optimised and the detection of impacts on the environment are negligible. In addition, the use of by-products and emissions in a beneficial manner must be promoted.

Leachate recirculation and treatment along with biogas harvesting and use as well as landfill mining are all processes that can be used to enhance landfill sustainability.

The paper covers various aspects of landfill sustainability and concludes that this is achievable as long as there is a proper understanding of the processes involved.

Download technical paper here.