Landfill minimisation

Re-use, remanufacture and recycle. Focusing on re-use, remanufacture and recycling comes from a number of trends and drivers in society. Because of problems with waste disposal, many companies are trying to work towards a zero to landfill policy. As waste disposal costs rise, this trend will accelerate. At the same time, where raw materials are difficult or expensive to obtain, there is a real commercial incentive to recycle and reuse. Regulators also continue to push for the minimisation or elimination of the release of hazardous materials... 

With the aim of reducing the volume of wastes going to landfill by at least 50%, the company initiative minimised the use of office supplies, established re-use of steel drums and recycling of aluminium and stainless steel. Overall a 78% reduction of waste going to landfill was achieved with a net saving of over 23,000/yr. The lesson here is that any company can make valuable improvements irrespective of the nature of their business. Even speciality chemical manufacturers have office and goods handling functions where a similar approach can be applied. 

A levy paid on materials sent to landfill, which was developed to encourage waste minimisation and recycling. In the UK, the top rate rose to 10/tonne in 1999. 

Attenuation occurs as a result of various mechanisms operating in the landfill which serve to minimise the movement and/or reduce the toxicity of contaminants... 

Fail-safe Landfill The concept of the sustainable landfill is echoed in the philosphy of fail-safe landfill (Loxham, 1993). The fail-safe philosophy argues that whatever the containment system utilised, it will ultimately fail and/or institutional control will cease, and the contents within e.g., leachate, will be released to the environment. It therefore requires that any releases should be such that the risk posed to the environment is acceptable. For this to be the case, waste disposed to landfill must be pre-treated or degradation must be accelerated such that the hazardous nature of Ae waste and waste products are minimised. 

This assessed risk approach to landfill design and construction has much to commend it and represents a more versatile and effective means of landfill development than the type of approach that is based on fixed guidelines such as those enshrined within sub-title D of RCRA, and within the European Landfill Directive (CEC, 1991). In order to minimise the risks associated with, amongst other things, liner failure, landraising has been considered as an alternative to landfill. 

If containment of waste is one area where risk reduction can be realistically achieved, a second area with greater potential is that of hazard reduction. This can be achieved through careful control of waste inputs and through appropriate choice of landfill design and operation (e.g. bioreactor landfill, pre-treatment). The choice of design and operation of a sustainable landfill will be affected by the nature of the emplaced waste. If truly inert waste is deposited there will not be a hazard and sustainability will be easily achieved. Waste minimisation and recycling wUl impact upon the composition and hazardous nature of waste and the effects of these practices will affect the choice of sustainable landfill design. 

A system of waste management that utilises one, or more, of the available options (minimisation, recycling, re-use, incineration, digestion, composting, landfill etc.) for effective waste treatment and disposal. 

A landfill designed and operated in such a way that minimises both short-term and long-term environmental risks to an acceptable level. 

This has demonstrated an innovative method of reuse for the construction industry that will minimise the volume of plasterboard waste sent to landfill, thus reducing disposal costs, whilst expanding the cuii ent markets for plasterboard waste. 

Resource Productivity, Waste Minimisation and the Landfill Tax, Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (2001)... 

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