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Four pounds per day
Each of us creates more than four pounds of solid waste per day. Most of us put it at the curb and don't give it another thought. |
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What happens to waste
What happens to it? Years
ago it went to the town
dump. In the 1950s there
were more than 1,000 town dumps in Pennsylvania. But public health concerns led to environmental regulations and the introduction of scientifically engineered landfills. Today there are about 50 permitted landfills in Pennsylvania. |
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Entering the landfill
We're entering Waste
Management's Grand Central Sanitary Landfill
in Plainfield Township. |
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3,000 tons per day
This 450-acre site
receivesabout 3,000 tons of solid, non-hazardous municipal waste every day, or six million pounds of trash daily. |
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Environmentally friendly
Modern landfills are highly
sophisticated, complex, and environmentally friendly operations. |
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Carefully sited
Before a landfill is sited,
environmental experts study the area and surrounding communities. They explore the terrain, test the groundwater, monitor air quality, and study layout options
and traffic patterns.
The process can take
as long as five years. |
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Built in "cells"
Once approved, a landfill
site is built in a series of
"cells," or sections. Each cell is lined with multiple layers of protective material and then sealed when it's full. |
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Laying the liner
Crews put down a clay
sub-base and then lay a
liner on the bottom of
the cell. |
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Protecting the
eco-system
Field Manager Bruce
Fahs: "A liner system is
a multilayered system designed for environmental protection of the eco-system below the ground and in the surrounding areas."
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Contained within
the liner
Field Manager Bruce Fahs:
"The liner system basically
goes beneath the entire
landfill. Anything placed in
the landfill is contained
within the liner." |
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Liner system: first layer - subbase
The first layer of the
liner is six inches of compacted clay. It helps prevent water from seeping through. |
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Liner system:
second layer
The second layer is a tough geo-textile material similar to carpet padding. It acts as protective cushion for the liner. |
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Liner system:
third layer
Placed on top of the
geo-textile material is the first of two actual liners made of 60-millimeter
high density polyethylene, a material known for chemical resistance and durability. This is the secondary layer. |
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Seams are welded
All liner seams are
welded and then tested and approved by an independent laboratory. |
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Liner system:
fourth layer
A polyethylene drainage
net layer called geo-net
is placed to provide a
flow zone to monitor
the integrity of the
primary layer. This layer acts as a detection monitoring system. |
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Liner system:
fifth and sixth layer
A manmade clay layer is next, and a second 60-millimeter polyethylene liner is placed on top.
This is the primary layer. |
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Liner system:
seventh layer
Another layer of "carpet
padding" is added. |
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Liner system:
final layer
The final layer is called
the protective cover. It contains a network of drainage pipes
surrounded by gravel
andtopped with 18
inches of coarse sand. |
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Capping filled cells
Once portions of the
landfill reach final grades,
a cap is installed to cover the waste. The cap is also an engineered system, with multiple layers of natural and manmade geosynthetic materials, and works with the liner to seal the cell. |
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A regulated operation
Landfills operate under
permits issued by the
Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection. The permits regulate the type and amount of waste landfills can receive.
Each load is weighed
and documented on
a manifest. |
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Checking arriving waste
A spotter checks waste
being unloaded against the manifest and makes sure everything is in compliance. |
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Placing the trash
in cells
Equipment operators push
trash into cells. They stop and check if they see anything that shouldn't
be there. |
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Placing the
daily cover
At the end of each day,
bulldozers spread a cover of crushed stone and dirt over the trash that has been brought in. |
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Controlling refuse
and odor
Fences and nets trap
wind-blown refuse. An odor neutralizer mist is released to minimize odor.
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Muffling noise
Earth berms muffle the noise of heavy equipment. |
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Inspecting for cleanliness
Trucks are inspected before they leave to make sure they're clean and free of any refuse from the landfill. |
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Inspecting for safety
Trucks undergo safety checks and mechanical inspections to make sure they're safe to operate
on area roads. |
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Continual testing
Regulations require
operators to take care of
their landfills even after
they're filled, capped, and
closed. This includes
sampling groundwater
and surface water, testing
air quality, and checking
for erosion and
sedimentation. |
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Continuing commitment
Government Affairs Officer
Harry Smith: "A landfill
isn't something you walk away from. We have an obligation to protect the environment. We set aside funds to monitor and maintain the site even
after it's closed." |
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Leachate and methane
As solid waste decomposes, it generates a liquid waste called leachate and a gas
called methane. Both are
fully contained within the
liner system and both
can be used beneficially
to help the community
and further protect
the environment. |
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Treating leachate
Grand Central operates
aleachate treatment system. Millions of gallons of leachate are collected from the liner system and pumped to the treatment facility. The leachate is cleaned up to a water purity level better than
that of area streams.
The treated water is reused to help promote biodegredation of the waste in the landfill cells. |
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Using methane
Grand Central operates
a state-of-the-art gas-to-energy center. Decompostition gases
are collected through a series of pipes and wells. The gases are compressed and injected into turbine generators and used to make electricity, which is sold to the regional
electricity transmission grid. Proceeds benefit
area communities. The center won a "Project of the Year Award" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. |
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Community asset
Grand Central is a good neighbor. Each year, it
provides more than
$300,000 in contributions,
gifts, and in-kind services
to local communities. It also generates more than $1.25 million a year in host fees to local communities. |
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Proud of what we do
We take pride in the work
we do. |
