AREA A/B ENGINEERING REPORT - Waste Management

Geosyntec Consultants
The reader is encouraged to review the references presented in Section 8. This report attempts to
condense a large volume of information into an easy-to-understand document, with source
materials for further reference consolidated into technical appendices. For the user’s easy
reference, in some sections a list of seminal references is included in a footer to support specific
technical conclusions in the text.
1.1 What is a Managed Solid Waste Landfill?
The foundation of the modern, managed municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill is the combination
of regulatory, design, construction, operational, maintenance, and monitoring features to create
an inter-dependant, overlapping system for protection of human health and the environment. This
document describes municipal solid waste landfills regulated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) and does not cover landfills classified as a hazardous and which are regulated under
RCRA Subtitle C.
The modern RCRA Subtitle D or “sanitary” landfill is an environmentally protective means to
manage non-hazardous waste. As defined by the USEPA, landfills
are “land-based waste management cells that contain
solid wastes. Waste containment systems for
landfills consist of liner systems that underlay the
wastes placed on them and final cover systems
constructed over the wastes.”
The Interstate Technology Regulatory Council
(ITRC) has expanded upon this definition to
provide a performance-based description,
provided in the adjacent call-out box.
1.2 Key Elements of a Managed Solid Waste Landfill
What is a Landfill?
Landfills are engineered waste disposal
structures designed, constructed, operated, and
monitored to protect human health and the
environment, and minimize receptor exposure
to waste materials, potentially impacted
groundwater, landfill gas, and leachate.
Modern MSW landfills are designed and operated to strict regulatory standards, established by
USEPA to be implemented by state environmental agencies, and effectively managed to prevent
potential adverse environmental impacts. The key attributes of a modern managed MSW landfill
include:
• Scientifically Engineered Containment;
• Strictly Regulated Facility Siting, Construction, and Operations;
• Preventative and Response Maintenance;
• Waste Degradation and Treatment; and
• Multi-functional environmental performance Monitoring.
MD10186.doc 17 29 March 2009