Municipal Sanitary Landfill Research Articles

Hydrometeorological characterization and estimation of landfill leachate generation in the Eastern Amazon/Brazil.

The complex physical-chemical and microbiological composition of leachate in sanitary landfills sets the adequate treatment for different waste types. However, before the final disposal of wastes in receptor waterbodies, it is essential to use specific methods to quantitatively prevent internal flows to find proper treatments. The aim of the present research is to use hydrological models to estimate monthly leachate flow generation in Macapá's Municipal Sanitary Landfill (ASMM), Amapá State, Brazil. Disregarding the temporal trend bias, the average (0.45 m3s-1), minimum (0.07 m3s-1) and maximum (0.72 m3s-1) flows were estimated based on hydrological models in the literature (Rmax = 99%, p<0.05). The results estimated from different hydrological gauges pointed towards significant spatial variations in final discharge. Thus, estimated flows worked as reference to calculate the loads of coproducts and nutrients concerning different operational stages in ASMM. Therefore, rain intensity estimates have pointed out precipitation variability, and it has significantly affected leachate flow. In conclusion, there would be a proportional increase in leachate flow during extreme maximum precipitation events; overflow would be the effect of such flows and it would assumingly have impact on its surrounding areas. It is also possible estimating some degree of rainfall impact over ASMM's infrastructure in the long term (>10 years), since it could influence its lifespan.

Remotely piloted aircraft-based landfill monitoring

Solid waste causes big problems to the environment and public health when disposed of inadequately. Law 14,026/2020 updated the legal framework for sanitation and amended Federal Law 12,305/2012, which establishes the National Policy for Solid Waste, and is regulated by Federal Decree 10,936/2022, which addresses waste management. The stability of waste massifs in landfills can be compromised by vertical and horizontal displacements. To ensure landfill environments' physical and economic safety, operational measurements for monitoring such displacements are essential. Due to technological advances, new equipment and topographic survey techniques have emerged. Among them, the use of the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) is an alternative for fast and effective monitoring, which can support strategic planning in landfills. The aim of the study was to identify displacements in waste massifs of the municipal sanitary landfill of Lages - SC using the RPA. The aerial survey was performed using the RVJET and Phantom 4 Advanced platforms with ground control points. Subsequently, orthomosaics and digital elevation models were produced. The identification of instability points in the landfill was performed. High displacement velocity was identified only at the massifs in operation. The landfill presented uniform surface settlement intensity and steady deformation velocity, not exceeding the warning level. This study calculated the displacement velocity with longer intervals between measurements than those currently used in traditional methods. Despite this, it was possible to build a database and carry out analysis by visual inspections and variations in the elevation of the massifs for preventive and corrective control of the landfill. RPA demonstrated to be adequate to monitor landfills. However, this assessment must be complemented with other instrumental analyses to understand waste massifs’ behavior over time.

Future-oriented Waste Management Technology for Ward-6, Bogura, Bangladesh – A Step Towards Sustainability

Rapid urbanization combined with high economic growth, industrialization, and changes in socio-economic conditions increase the quantity of municipal solid waste. Cities located in South-Asia are facing serious issues due to waste, with countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan top of the list of bad waste management. The increasing generation of solid waste and also the improper management of waste in Bangladesh leads to environmental degradation. Current waste management practice in Bangladesh is so weak that day by day it is harming the climate and creating a lot of unwanted situations. This research consists of an examination of the current administrative measures and presents another proposition for the executive cycle to decrease ecological contamination. The research study aims to decrease the amount of waste being dumped into municipal sanitary landfill sites &amp; converting the waste into energy which is both financially and environmentally suitable by involving unemployed people in the management system. The results of this study will give an idea of how waste can be utilized as a resource and how this resource can be a capital good as well as how the local level problems can be solved by taking some strategies and making our environment suitable for future generations.

Assessment of Physicochemical Groundwater Quality and Hydrogeochemical Processes in an Area near a Municipal Landfill Site: A Case Study of the Toluca Valley.

Sanitary landfills are considered one of the main sources of contamination of water resources due to the generation of leachate with a high content of dissolved organic matter (DOM), inorganic material, and toxic elements. This study aimed to determine the influence of leachate on the physicochemical quality and hydrogeochemical processes which determine the chemical composition of groundwater in an area near a municipal sanitary landfill site. In situ parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ORP), physicochemical parameters (HCO3−, PO43−, Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+), and dissolved organic matter were analyzed. The content of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was determined by 3D fluorescence microscopy. The presence of Cl−, NO3−, NH4+, PO43−, BOD, and COD indicated the presence of contamination. The significant correlation between NO3− and PO43− ions (r = 0.940) and DOM of anthropogenic origin in the 3D fluorescence spectra confirm that its presence in the water is associated with the municipal landfill site in question. The type of water in the area is Mg-HCO3, with a tendency to Na-HCO3 and Na-SO+-Cl. The water-rock interaction process predominates in the chemical composition of water; however, significant correlations between Na+ and Ca2+ (r = 0.876), and between K+ and Mg2+ (r = 0.980) showed that an ion exchange process had taken place. Likewise, there is enrichment by HCO3− and SO42− ions due to the mineralization of the organic matter from the leachate. The groundwater quality that supplies the study area is being affected by leachate infiltration from the sanitary landfill.

Sanitary Waste Landfill Effects on an Invasive Wild Pig Population

ABSTRACTBeing opportunistic omnivores, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) readily feed on edible garbage. Given the presence of substantial volumes of edible food waste, large multi‐county and regional municipal sanitary waste landfills constitute attractive forage resources for pigs, providing a year‐round anthropogenic source of potentially high‐quality forage. Our objective was to assess the effects that a large regional landfill has on the local pigs foraging in that facility's waste disposal cells. The landfill, located on the United States Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, USA, became operational in 1998 and pigs began foraging there in 2001. By 2009 &gt;100 pigs/night were observed foraging in the landfill, suggesting landfill establishment may have important consequences for population dynamics, public safety, and disease transmission. We evaluated changes in body mass, fetal litter size, numbers of pigs removed, and wild pig‐vehicle collisions (WPVCs) before (1980–2000) and after (2001–2019) pigs began foraging in the landfill on SRS. Body mass during the after period increased to a greater extent for pigs in the vicinity of the landfill compared to pigs on the rest of SRS. Fetal litter size increased for pigs in the vicinity of the landfill, whereas it remained unchanged on the rest of SRS. Our density surrogate (number of pigs harvested) increased around the landfill during the after period by 2.9 times, whereas on the rest of the site it only increased by 53%. No WPVCs occurred adjacent to the landfill before 2001, but WPVCs increased along the 2 major roads bordering the landfill after 2001. Effects of sanitary waste landfills on wild pig populations scavenging there can present unique challenges to population management, control, public safety, and disease transmission. Potential approaches to address these challenges could be exclusion fencing to prevent access to the landfill's waste disposal cells or enhanced placement of waste cell covers to reduce access. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

Recovery of ammonia nitrogen from landfill leachate using a biopolar membrane equipped electrodialysis system.

In this paper, a laboratory-scale electrodialysis reactor with five compartment cells separated by a bipolar membrane and ion exchange membrane was assembled to remove ammonia nitrogen from landfill leachate as a pretreatment process. The effects of humic acid, magnesium ions (Mg2+) and calcium ions (Ca2+) existing in leachate on the removal efficiency of ammonium (NH4 +) were investigated by using simulated wastewater. The results indicate that humic acid has little impact on ammonium in the presence of an electric field. High concentrations of Mg2+ and Ca2+ in solution have a substantial impact on the removal efficiency of ammonium, but the average migration rate of the three ions is NH4 + > Mg2+ > Ca2+ under the same current intensity, and NH4 + plays a major role in electromigration for mixture electrodialysis. Therefore, ammonia nitrogen can be separated from leachate and accumulated effectively. Meanwhile, the bipolar membrane near the cathode produces alkali that is released into the base cell to promote ammonia nitrogen transformation from accumulated ammonium, which creates in-site alkaline condition for ammonia nitrogen recovery by a further stripping process. When the actual leachate collected from a local municipal sanitary landfill was employed, the reactor reached 86.17% of ammonia nitrogen removal after 3.0 h reaction. Analysis of membrane scale suggests the inhibitory effect of Mg2+ on Ca2+ migration during the initial working period of the reaction can potentially slow down the membrane scaling of the cation exchange membrane. This study provides a promising technology for the removal and recovery of ammonia nitrogen from landfill leachate.

Medical waste management at three hospitals in Jenin district, Palestine.

Medical wastes are considered hazardous because they may possess infectious agents and can cause unsafe effects on the environment and human health. This study is to analyze and evaluate the current status of medical waste management at Jenin's district in light of medical waste control regulations recommended by the World Health Organization. The results demonstrated that the average hazardous healthcare waste generation rate ranges from 0.54 to 1.82kg/bed/day with a weighted average of 0.78kg/bed/day. There was no established waste segregation of healthcare waste types in all hospitals, and these wastes were finally disposed of in a centralized municipal sanitary landfill, namely Zahrat Al-Finjan. The results suggest that there is a need for activation and enforcement of medical waste laws. This can be achieved through cooperation among key actors: Ministry of Health, Environmental Quality Authority, Ministry of Local Government, and Non-Governmental Organizations working in related fields. Additional remediation measures proposed to tackle the problematic areas of medical waste management in Jenin's district hospitals are addressed. Some recommendations to minimize potential health and environmental risks of medical waste are also introduced.

Sistema de extraccion y tratamiento de metano

Currently sanitary landfills are considered sources of atmospheric pollutants. Biogas, a product of the biological decomposition of organic waste, incorporates mostly methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which are greenhouse gases. A large number of municipal sanitary landfills do not have control over methane gas emissions to the surface. This project is based on the construction of a portable prototype system for the extraction and treatment of methane gas from landfills. The objective was to manufacture and build a portable prototype system for the extraction and treatment of methane gas from municipal sanitary landfills. That it implements the necessary sections and devices to treat the gas and in this way facilitate its later use as fuel in heating systems, domestic use and / or internal and external combustion thermal machines. Using for this purpose a system of gas extraction, separation of solids, de-humidification and desulphurisation process. In the system variables such as the percentage of methane, temperature and humidity are monitored, in order to give a stability to the gas treatment process.

Sanitary Landfill Leachate Treatment with Double Chamber Anaerobic Reactor in Series with Constructed Wetland

A treatment system composed of a double-chamber anaerobic (DCA) reactor in conjunction with a constructed wetland (CW) of horizontal sub-surface flow, for the treatment of leachates generated in the municipal sanitary landfill of a typical mid-sized city was investigated. The aim of this work was to assess the capability of the system to remove pollutants such as organic load, nutrients and solids. The system was evaluated at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 7.97, 5.31 and 2.88 days. The highest removal efficiencies for the system were obtained at HRT of 7.97 days and were 89% and 91% for TCOD and BOD, respectively. In the case of NO3−, NO2−, NH4+ and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), their removal rates were estimated at 88%, 93%, 93% and 85%, respectively; whilst for TS, TVS and TTSS they were 88%, 86% and 90%, respectively, again at HRT of 7.97 d. Efficiencies of 78%, 83% and 77% were obtained respectively for TCOD, BOD and TKN in DCA reactor at HRT of 1.5 d. Typha domingensis was identified as a species capable of adapting to the physicochemical conditions of the leachate, exhibiting an average growth of 196 cm. In leachate there were found low concentrations of heavy metals, being aluminum the metal with the highest concentrations (between 3.31–10.09 mg/L). Results show that it is feasible to implement the DCA reactor in series with a constructed wetland for the treatment of sanitary landfill leachates. Therefore, this system can be replicated for the treatment of leachates with similar conditions.

Lysimeter validation based on physicochemical characterisation of leachate from municipal solid waste in a tropical region

Leachates produced by municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city of Campinas, Southeastern Brazil, were confined - either to three lysimeters (models), or to an experimental cell built in the municipal sanitary landfill - and analysed. The leachates were characterised weekly through physicochemical variables. Monitoring time was 520 days. Statistical analyses were performed to validate the models as a means of studying real-scale landfills. Data was obtained from detailed monitoring of the MSW's biodegradation process, enabling the identification of transitional periods. The transition from the acidogenic phase to the methanogenic phase occurred between 100 and 150 days in the experimental cell, and between 120 and 230 days in the models. Use of lysimeters to determine biodegradation phases in tropical regions was validated only for leachates' chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) variables.

Lysimeter validation based on physicochemical characterisation of leachate from municipal solid waste in a tropical region

Leachates produced by municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city of Campinas, Southeastern Brazil, were confined - either to three lysimeters (models), or to an experimental cell built in the municipal sanitary landfill - and analysed. The leachates were characterised weekly through physicochemical variables. Monitoring time was 520 days. Statistical analyses were performed to validate the models as a means of studying real-scale landfills. Data was obtained from detailed monitoring of the MSW's biodegradation process, enabling the identification of transitional periods. The transition from the acidogenic phase to the methanogenic phase occurred between 100 and 150 days in the experimental cell, and between 120 and 230 days in the models. Use of lysimeters to determine biodegradation phases in tropical regions was validated only for leachates' chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) variables.

Evaluación de trampas con atrayentes para la captura de dípteros

Los insectos del género Díptera a lo largo de la historia y evolución han tenido estrecha relación con el hombre, sus actividades y entorno. Es uno de los grupos taxonómicos más amplios y diversos tanto en formas, funciones y relación con el hombre. Esta investigación tiene por objetivo describir la diversidad taxonómica y ecológica de los dípteros identificados en el relleno sanitario de la cuidad de Bluefields. Para la captura de los dípteros se utilizaron trampas con diferentes a trayentes para evaluar su efectividad. La ubicación del proyecto fue en el Relleno Sanitario Municipal de Bluefields. Se evaluaron nueve trampas con atrayentes con veinte repeticiones cada una, con muestro diarios por cinco días, con intervalos de 24 horas. Se realizaron las comparaciones entre los tratamientos y especies capturadas identificando distribución no normal de los datos. La significancia asintótica estadística para cada variable se evaluó mediante la prueba no paramétrica de Kruskal-Wallis y Kolmogórov-Smirnov. La colocación de trampas con distintos atrayentes en el relleno sanitario municipal de Bluefields permitió la identificación de las especies Musca doméstica, Pepsis sp. Vespula germánica, Chironomus plumosus, Aedes aegypti, Ceratitis capitata, Hermetia illucens y Agapostemon sp. De la totalidad de trampas con atrayentes evaluados, fue la trampa uno con atrayente de miel la que obtuvo mayor número de captura de individuo de ambos sexos, mayor durabilidad en el tiempo, más rico índice de biodiversidad y de similitud en el tiempo, todos estos parámetros con diferencia estadística respecto a las demás trampas. De estas especies se han identificado depredadores, parasitoides e insectos oportunistas.

A potential of the biogas generating and energy recovering from municipal solid waste

This project aimed to simulate a sanitary landfill cell at the pilot scale and used a lysimeter to assess and quantify the volume of biogas produced by municipal solid waste (MSW), with a composition similar to that disposed in municipal sanitary landfill, in Itajuba, Brazil. The methodology of this study included: the preparation and filling of an experimental cell landfill; the measurement of the biogas pressure, temperature and volume; the determination of the potential for methane generation (in m3 of CH4/kgMSW); and the determination of the MSW substrate parameters before and after closing the lysimeter (including COD, BOD, TS, VS, etc.). The results obtained by demonstrating the potential for methane generation ranged from 25.95 m3 CH4/tMSW in PHASE I to 291.79 m3 CH4/tMSW in PHASE II and 0.87 m3 CH4/tMSW in PHASE III. All of the values that resulted from these PHASES studies matched the USEPA values for the lysimeters operated from 1 to 3 years (0.2–400 m3/t), including the low production value of PHASE III. The PHASE II value was more consistent with the default USEPA LandGem L0 value (170 m3/t).

Intestinal parasitism among waste pickers in Mato Grosso do Sul, Midwest Brazil.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in both cooperative-affiliated and independent waste pickers operating at the municipal sanitary landfill in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and associate these findings with hemoglobin, eosinophils, vitamin A and C levels and interleukin 5 and 10 (IL-5 and IL-10) production. Biological samples were collected, in addition to clinical, epidemiological, and sociodemographic data. Stool analyzes were based on sedimentation by centrifugation and on spontaneous sedimentation. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine vitamin A and C levels. ELISA was employed to quantify interleukins. Intestinal parasites were found in 29 of the 66 subjects assessed (43.9%). Endolimax nana (22.7%), Entamoeba coli (21.1%), Giardia lamblia (6.1%), Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (4.5%), and Ascaris lumbricoides (4.5%) were the most prevalent species. Pathogenic parasites were detected in 11 individuals (16.7%). Hypovitaminoses A and C were detected in 19.6% (13/66) and 98.4% (65/66) of subjects, respectively. IL-5 and IL-10 production was observed in 21 (31.8%) and 32 (48.4%) subjects, respectively. Infection with pathogenic intestinal parasites was not a cause of vitamin A and C deficiency or IL-5 and IL-10 production among these workers.

METODOLOGIA PARA SELEÇÃO DE ÁREAS APTAS À INSTALAÇÃO DE ATERROS SANITÁRIOS CONSORCIADOS UTILIZANDO SIG

Nowadays, one of the financial and environmental problems faced by cities is related to the adequate final disposal of solid waste in municipal sanitary landfills. The selection of the areas implies in several factors as the proximity of watercourses, soil resistance to contaminating effects, protection of conservation areas, size of the area available, distance between collection and disposal, which are the main issues that make the topic relevant. Thereby, was employed a methodology to assess the potential for selected of areas with the capacity to receive a landfill, considering as the study areas intercropping municipalities, by using techniques of Geographic Information Systems. The method used, considered as criteria of exclusion for unsuitable areas, the airport security zones, conservation unities and others operational and technical aspects of environmental, weighted according to their influence within the theme, generate the ranking of the most suitable areas for 20-years operation of landfill installation. Therefore, after applying the criteria, it was found that less than 50% of the entire region area is suitable for such an initiative leading to 31ranked sites with great aptitude to implementation of the landfill sanitary, according to multicriteria analysis by weighted overlay.

Multivariate Exploratory Analysis of Metals and Phosphorus Concentrations of Leachates Collected Monthly from a Municipal Sanitary Landfill.

Concentrations of 11 elements (P, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr and Al) were measured in leachate samples collected monthly from the municipal landfill in Jequié, Bahia, Brazil. P (0.943-23.8 mg L(-1)), Ca (19.90-129 mg L(-1)) and Fe (0.115-2.87 mg L(-1)) were found in the highest levels, while Cu (<LOQ-0.230 mg L(-1)), Ni (<LOQ-0.540 mg L(-1)), Co (<LOQ-0.268 mg L(-1)), Pb (<LOQ-0.563 mg L(-1)), Mn (<LOQ-3.40 mg L(-1)), Zn (<LOQ-0.594 mg L(-1)), Cr (<LOQ-0.163 mg L(-1)) and Al (<LOQ-2.27 mg L(-1)) were found in lower concentrations. Principal components analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis revealed two distinct groups associated with dry and rainy periods. Overall, this study revealed that concentrations of elements in landfill leachate vary temporally, and rainfall strongly influences their levels.

PRETREATMENT OF LANDFILL LEACHATE USING IRON(III) CHLORIDE AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

In this paper, the application of Iron(III) chloride and hydrogen peroxide oxidation processes for stabilized landfill leachate treatment was investigated. The leachate came from a municipal sanitary landfill and the average values of its main parameters were: pH 8,03; COD 605 gO2/m 3; BOD 65 gO2/m 3; NH4 + 92 gN/m3; conductivity 6,47 mS/cm; UV254 absorbance 0,300 and turbidity 1,6 NTU. It is demonstrated that the application of Iron(III) chloride and hydrogen peroxide can effectively remove leachate pollutants such as color, COD and UV254 absorbance. A combination process, accomplished at different weight ratios of reagents H2O2/ Fe was 1,7 to 32. The best conditions for process were found at a ratio Fe/COD equal to 0,9 and H2O2/Fe equal to 4,2. Leachates were significantly oxidized under these conditions in terms of COD removal 72%, color removal 93% and UV254 absorbance removal 82,2%.

Occurrence of Bisphenol A in soil and leachate of a municipal landfill: effect of the sample acidification

The main objective of present study was the quantitative analysis of bisphenol A (BPA) in soil and leachate of a municipal sanitary landfill. The influence of the solvent polarity and pH over the quantitative analysis of BPA in the leachate was also investigated. The soil samples were collected from closed cells and extracted by Soxhlet extraction with ethanol. The liquid samples, from row leachate from the same sanitary landfill were extracted by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) with C-18 cartridges and ethanol. The organic extracts from liquid and solid samples were analyzed by Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID). For the soil and liquid samples the average concentrations of BPA were 21.30 (±0.61) mg kg-1 and 26.83 (±2.69) mg L-1, respectively. These results were far above the ones cited in the literature and are of special concern because BPA may disrupt the human endocrine system. The acidification allows the increase of 5% of the extraction efficiency. In this way, the acidification step is recommended for the quantification of BPA in samples where the concentration of this analyte is below 0.1%. In these cases the acidification step may avoid important loss of the analyte and improve the detection limit in the instrumental analysis. http://dx.doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v2iss1p10

Co-precipitation of Radium with Barium and Strontium Sulfate and Its Impact on the Fate of Radium during Treatment of Produced Water from Unconventional Gas Extraction

Radium occurs in flowback and produced waters from hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas extraction along with high concentrations of barium and strontium and elevated salinity. Radium is often removed from this wastewater by co-precipitation with barium or other alkaline earth metals. The distribution equation for Ra in the precipitate is derived from the equilibrium of the lattice replacement reaction (inclusion) between the Ra(2+) ion and the carrier ions (e.g., Ba(2+) and Sr(2+)) in aqueous and solid phases and is often applied to describe the fate of radium in these systems. Although the theoretical distribution coefficient for Ra-SrSO4 (Kd = 237) is much larger than that for Ra-BaSO4 (Kd = 1.54), previous studies have focused on Ra-BaSO4 equilibrium. This study evaluates the equilibria and kinetics of co-precipitation reactions in Ra-Ba-SO4 and Ra-Sr-SO4 binary systems and the Ra-Ba-Sr-SO4 ternary system under varying ionic strength (IS) conditions that are representative of brines generated during unconventional gas extraction. Results show that radium removal generally follows the theoretical distribution law in binary systems and is enhanced in the Ra-Ba-SO4 system and restrained in the Ra-Sr-SO4 system by high IS. However, the experimental distribution coefficient (Kd') varies widely and cannot be accurately described by the distribution equation, which depends on IS, kinetics of carrier precipitation and does not account for radium removal by adsorption. Radium removal in the ternary system is controlled by the co-precipitation of Ra-Ba-SO4, which is attributed to the rapid BaSO4 nucleation rate and closer ionic radii of Ra(2+) with Ba(2+) than with Sr(2+). Carrier (i.e., barite) recycling during water treatment was shown to be effective in enhancing radium removal even after co-precipitation was completed. Calculations based on experimental results show that Ra levels in the precipitate generated in centralized waste treatment facilities far exceed regulatory limits for disposal in municipal sanitary landfills and require careful monitoring of allowed source term loading (ASTL) for technically enhanced naturally occurring materials (TENORM) in these landfills. Several alternatives for sustainable management of TENORM are discussed.

Solid Waste Management: Its Sources, Collection, Transportation and Recycling

Solid wastes may be defined as useless, unused, unwanted, or discarded material available in solid form. Semisolid food wastes and municipal sludge may also be included in municipal solid waste. The subject of solid wastes came to the national limelight after the passage of the solid waste disposal act of 1965. Today, solid waste is accepted as a major problem of our society. In the United States over 180 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated in 1988. At this generation quantity, the average resident of an urban community is responsible for more than 1.8 kg (4.0 lbs.) of solid waste per day. This quantity does not include industrial, mining, agricultural, and animal wastes generated in the country each year. If these quantities are added, the solid waste production rate reaches 45 kg per capita per day (100 lb. /c.d.). To introduce the reader to the solid waste management field, an overview of municipal solid waste problems, sources, collection, resource recovery, and disposal methods are presented in this paper. Greater emphasis has been given to the design and operation of municipal sanitary landfills, regulations governing land disposal, and leachate generation, containment and treatment methods.