Landfill alternative capping systems

HDPE geomembranes can be combined with various other components (leak monitoring system, geosynthetic clay liners of high durability, polymer amended sand-bentonite-mixtures, capillary barriers) to form alternative composite liners as reliable and cost effective capping systems (Simon and Muller 2004). Such alternative capping systems are tested and increasingly applied for landfills and for the containment of contaminated sites. 

For sites on very arid land or on steep slopes, an armoring system, or hardened cap, may be more effective than a vegetative layer for securing a landfill. Operators should not depend on an agricultural layer for protection in areas where vegetation cannot survive. Many States allow asphalt caps as an alternative to vegetative covers. Some closures at industrial sites have involved constructing... 

Phytoremediation is the use of plants to treat or stabilize contaminated soils, sediments, or water. Plants provide and support remediation processes in many ways. Common applications of phytoremediation-based systems include remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, reuse of municipal wastewater and biosolids, reuse of industrial wastewater and by-products, alternative landfill capping and erosion control, and landfill leachate reuse. 

As an alternative to conventional landfill caps, Ecolotree caps offer low-maintenance systems with long-term durability. They are often significantly less expensive than conventional landfill caps. In addition, public acceptance of the technology can be very high, in part because of the parkUke aesthetic that provides bird and wildlife habitat. 

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