Strategic Action Plan - International Environmental Technology Centre

Strategic Action Plan Report
Box 5.1: Feasibility Studies on Landfill Mining
and Zn between leachate from the dump sites and water extract of the fine fraction of solid samples.
However, this is not significant in the case of As, Cd and Hg.
The studies support the feasibility of dump site mining for lifetime expansion and remediation. Sitespecific
conditions will determine whether or not landfill mining and reclamation is feasible for a given
location. The key conditions to be considered include
• composition of the waste initially put in place in the landfill
• historic operating procedures
• extent of degradation of the waste
• types of markets and uses for the recovered materials.
Potential Drawbacks
Cell excavation raises a number of potential problems related to the release of gases. Methane and other
gases, generated by decomposing wastes, can cause explosions and fires. Hydrogen sulfide gas, a highly
flammable and odorous gas, can be fatal when inhaled at sufficient concentrations. These necessitated
adequate protection for the people involved in the Landfill mining activity
The dumpsite integrity could be affected by the mining activity, which can create collapse of the dumps.
5.5 Recommendations
The chapter discussed the role of technology at every stage of solid waste management, the methodology for
assessing various processes and the suggestions with respect to implementation in Pune. The following
technology related recommendations can be made with respect to Pune city.
1. Collection Technologies: Implementation of spatial tools such as GIS and GPS aided with
networking analysis should be undertaken to improvise on the efficiency of solid waste collection
systems. The distribution of vehicles, allocation of bins, location of the transfer stations, collection
frequencies and designing of collection shifts should be decided on the basis of route optimization.
2. Sorting, Recycle and Reuse Technologies: Sorting, recycling and reuse which is currently being
handled by the informal sector needs streamlining and strengthening. A centralized sorting, recycling and
reuse centre equipped with facilities to provide for the requirements of the rag-pickers in terms of space
and safe handling techniques should be looked at as a plausible solution to increase the extent of sorting
and also reducing the grievances of rag-pickers. In the context of Pune, such community sorting centres
as well as recycle and reuse technologies should be implemented at the transfer stations.
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