It’s unfortunate landfills exist as a result of our throwaway culture, and almost all household garbage sent to these sites is non-biodegradable. The world’s waste problem poses a threat to the environment, human health, wildlife, and biodiversity, and it generally impacts climate change
Rapid urbanization and increased population create more of these dump sites, especially in countries with large populations living in major cities. The United States for example is home to thousands of landfills.
According to a publication by the University of Colorado Boulder, the United States has over 3,000 active landfills and 10,000 closed ones. Each landfill is designed for the proper disposal of solid waste.1 Around the world, More landfills are created to help keep the cities clean by taking away household trash.
According to a report by the World Bank, over 2 billion tons of waste were generated in 2016 alone. It’s estimated that global waste generation will reach 3.4 billion by 2050. We might have more landfill sites than what was previously predicted because of poor waste management, which is a serious environmental problem and a norm in most cities around the world.
Waste decomposition in landfills harms the environment and it will only get worse as changing weather patterns disrupt food production and cause soil and groundwater pollution through leachate.
What Is a Landfill?
A landfill is a site designed to collect household waste for proper disposal. These sites are intended to reduce the amount of waste littering the environment and to prevent disease transmission.
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), landfilling is the final placement of waste into or onto the land in a controlled manner. The definition is for both landfilling at internal sites and external sites.2
Municipal solid waste is sent to these sites through garbage trucks. According to National Geographic, landfills have specialized structures to minimize environmental pollution and contamination.3
Modern landfills are well-built for collecting household garbage. They are managed facilities for proper solid waste disposal. Modern landfills are located, designed and monitored to comply with federal regulations according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).4
These are well-engineered facilities built with the intent to protect our surroundings. According to the EPA, the requirement for building a landfill site is to avoid environmentally sensitive areas. Modern landfills are built in places carefully selected using on-site environmental monitoring systems. These systems are capable of checking for any sign of groundwater contamination and landfill gas, the EPA says.
Learn more: Why Is Plastic Bad for the Environment?
How Landfills Operate
The layout of a typical landfill is structured to separate recyclable materials from the waste. A recycling centre is near the site’s entrance. This is where residents can drop off recyclable materials such as corrugated cardboard, glass bottles or jars, aluminium, newspapers, etc.
Separating these recyclable materials helps to reduce the amount of waste in the landfill. Some of these recyclable materials are banned from landfills by law since they can be recycled.5
Trucks carrying waste are weighed at a scale house and tipping fees are required to use the site. There are drop-off stations along the site to collect legally banned materials such as drywall, lead, acid batteries, motor oil, and tyres.
Another drop-off station in a typical landfill site collects household hazardous waste (HHW). These items, commonly used in homes, include toxic or highly flammable substances such as paints, thinners, and pesticides. These toxic liquids can pose a fire hazard, so there are companies that specialize in recycling them.
Other important structures in a landfill are the area that provides the soil for the site, the leachate collection pound, runoff collection pounds, and the methane station. These structures complete the set-up in a modern landfill.
The Growing Impact of Landfill on Waste Management
The atmosphere at landfills is not pleasant and it’s sad knowing that we will have more of these in the next few decades. The growing industrial production and global trade in the last decade contributes to the rapid increase of municipal and industrial waste.
In the mid-1990s, the annual waste generated ranged between 300 to 800 kilograms (661 to 1763 pounds) per capita in developed countries, according to a study on landfill impact on the environment.6 Countries around the world still dump household garbage in landfills relying on these sites for municipal solid waste disposal. This is considered proper waste disposal to keep cities clean.
Places like the United States dump about 52.6% of their municipal solid waste in landfills. Brazil landfills 59.1% of their municipal solid waste, China dumps 79%, Malaysia 94%, and Saudi Arabia 85%.7 In Mexico, sanitary landfills collect 65% of waste, while 30% of waste is discarded in uncontrolled and open dumps.
Environmental Impact of Landfills
The most concerning environmental issue with the thousands of landfills worldwide is the methane gas that builds up and is released into the atmosphere. Methane gas builds in dump sites during waste decomposition. According to an article published by the University of Colorado Boulder, methane is 84 times more effective at absorbing the sun’s heat than CO2, which makes it a highly potent greenhouse gas.8
Other toxic gases that build up in landfills during waste decomposition include CO2, nitrogen, and non-methane organic compounds. Water vapour is also produced alongside these toxic gases. These gases released in dump sites contribute to climate change, and if left unchecked can create smog.8
Existing landfill sites are destroying the planet. The destruction goes beyond the site where household garbage is dumped; it’s also destroying the natural habitat for wildlife, especially the endangered species.
It seems we will continue to see more landfills adding to the thousands that are already active and occupying an average land size of 600 acres. The United States, with its over 3,000 active landfills have already lost about 1 Million acres of natural habitat.8
Complying with federal regulations, modern landfills are required to have clay or plastic lining. However, these liners will likely have leaks, which can result in leachate. Leachate is a liquid from dumpsites that can contain high levels of ammonia and contaminate nearby water bodies or ecosystems.8 Leachate is generated due to microbial decomposition, climatic conditions, refuse characteristics, and landfill operations.9
According to National Geographic, leachate can be collected through a safe drainage system to avoid contamination. It can be passed through pipes connected to a pool where it can be properly treated to extract toxins before releasing into the environment.10
Learn more: 20 Zero-Waste Examples
Why Are Landfill Sites Bad for the Environment?
Regardless of how modern and well-engineered they are, landfills will always be environmentally harmful. They are very unpleasant and damaging to the environment and human health.
Greenhouse Gas
The emission of greenhouse gases poses a serious environmental problem. It’s a major driver of global warming and just one of the many problems associated with excessive municipal waste in landfills.
What happens in dumpsites is the total decomposition of solid waste releasing toxic gases like methane and carbon dioxide. If contained, the released methane gas can be utilized to fuel a power plant. However, in many cases, these gases are released into the atmosphere.
Leachate
Leachate is a liquid from dumpsites known for its toxicity. It can contain high levels of contaminants, such as ammonia, which can potentially contaminate water bodies, groundwater, soil and ecosystems. It’s generated due to microbial decomposition, climatic conditions, refuse characteristics and landfilling operations.
Toxins
Landfills are filled with all types of household rubbish. With every load of rubbish collected by the garbage trucks and dumped in landfills, some toxic substances decompose to form leachate.
All kinds of waste are dumped in dumpsites with no drop-off stations to collect recyclable materials. From regular household waste to e-waste, there is so much dumped in.
Electronic waste can be quite toxic as most of it contains substances like mercury (e.g., in fluorescent lamps), acids, lead, cadmium, or arsenic. Even household hazardous waste such as paints, paint thinners, and pesticides is all in the mix of waste dumped in these sites.
Challenges of Waste Management in Developing Countries
According to Statista, it’s estimated that approximately half of the world’s population does not have access to waste collection and proper disposal services. This means large amounts of waste generated globally are illegally discarded in open dumpsites, especially in developing countries. 11
The state of solid waste management in these countries is worsened by unsustainable practices of waste disposal. This leads to serious environmental contamination—and the chances of disease transmission in such living conditions are also a serious health concern.
The risk of contagious diseases spreading due to poor waste disposal is worsened in slum areas with additional problems of high-density population, air pollution and water pollution.12
The uncontrolled waste in these areas is often mixed with human and animal excreta and dumped openly in streets and drains, contributing to flooding, the breeding of insects and rodent vectors, and the spread of diseases.13 Poor waste management practices and their implications for public health remain a challenge in many developing countries.
Learn more: Biodegradable Vs. Compostable: What is the Difference?
The Biggest Landfill Worldwide by Area
Acres of land in different countries across the world are transformed into dumpsites. The biggest by land area are listed below according to Statista.com.
- Apex Regional- Las Vegas, United States spanning a total area of 2,200 acres
- Bordo Poniente- Mexico City, Mexico covers a total area of 927 acres
- Laogang- Shanghai, China spans over a land area of 830 acres
- Malagrotta- Rome, Italy covers a total area of 680 acres
- Puente Hills- Los Angeles, United States spanning a total area of 630 acres
- Sudokwon- Incheon, South Korea: 570 acres
- Delhi Landfills- India: 500 acres
- Deonar- Mumbai, India: 326 acres
- West New Territories- Hong Kong: 227 acres
- Xinfeng- Guangzhou, China: 227 acres
Sustainable Ways to Reduce Waste at Landfill Sites
Densely populated areas suffer the most from the situation of landfills. Air pollution, soils and groundwater contamination, and the spreading of contagious diseases pose serious environmental and human health problems.
To reduce waste not just at landfills but in our surroundings, we must adopt sustainable practices such as recycling, reusing, composting and buying green to reduce waste.
Recycle
Recycling is the way forward to reducing solid waste in landfills. We can do more to reduce waste by taking it seriously and taking the responsibility to look for facilities in our local communities that accept recyclable materials.
Recycling preserves our natural resources. It sustainably reintegrates used materials back into the production line without extracting raw ones. Glass, plastics, and paper materials are all recyclable. E-waste is usually sent to designated recycling facilities.
Compost
Composting also helps to keep household rubbish away from dumpsites. You can compost rather than dispose of food waste or corrugated cardboard. Other materials that read “compostable” can also be thrown into compost bins to minimize the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Repair
Our throwaway culture contributes to the world’s waste problem. Sometimes we consider scrapping what can be repaired and reused, which should not be thrown into the dumpster. Additionally, donate to charity when you feel it’s time to do an upgrade on old home appliances
Reuse
Reuse old items in your home instead of discarding them. Repurposing is one of the ways we can reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills.
Buy Green
Buying green means shopping sustainably—only buy what you need and go for biodegradable and compostable, especially when choosing trash bags.
Conclusion
Landfill sites will continue to increase if sustainability is not prioritized. Regardless of how modern and well-engineered they are, landfills will always be environmentally harmful.
Sources
- The hidden damage of landfills. (2024, January 17). Environmental Center. ↩︎
- Landfilling. (2023, June 7). UNDRR. ↩︎
- National Geographic: Landfills. (n.d.). ↩︎
- Basic Information about Landfills | US EPA. (2024, July 9). US EPA. ↩︎
- Freudenrich, C., PhD, & Kiger, P. J. (2023, September 7). How landfills work. HowStuffWorks. ↩︎
- Landfill Impacts on the Environment-Review. (n.d.). ResearchGate. ↩︎
- Vaverková, N. (2019). Landfill Impacts on the Environment— review. Geosciences, 9(10), 431. ↩︎
- The hidden damage of landfills. (2024, January 17). Environmental Center. ↩︎
- El-Fadel, M., Findikakis, A. N., & Leckie, J. O. (1997). Environmental impacts of solid waste landfilling. Journal of Environmental Management, 50(1), 1–25. ↩︎
- National Geographic: Landfills. (n.d.). ↩︎
- Statista. (2023, April 17). World’s biggest dump sites 2019. ↩︎
- Ferronato, N., & Torretta, V. (2019). Waste Mismanagement in Developing Countries: A review of Global issues. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 1060. ↩︎
- Mahmood Zohoori & Ali Ghani: “Municipal Solid Waste Management Challenges and Problems for Cities in Low-Income and Developing Countries.” ↩︎
Gabriel Emmanuel is an Environmental Education Consultant with over 3 years of experience in educational content writing. He has a strong background in environmental science and eco-friendly practices gained through relevant work experience, projects, and volunteer work. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and is a certified Environmental Science professional. Mr. Gabriel is passionate about green living and sustainability and enjoys helping readers by simplifying complex environmental issues, promoting practical eco-friendly practices, and inspiring positive change for a more sustainable future.