Waste disposal in urban areas

Did you know?

In the UK each year ink cartridges alone account for landfill the size of an aircraft carrier.

Problems of landfill• Negative impacts are referred to as "secondary

pollution" - primary objective is to avoid an environmental pollution in city area by removing it.

• An indispensable public facility for any modern city.

• To make the landfill site acceptable by local people, it is necessary to minimize the secondary pollution and resulting adverse impacts.

• It is also necessary to formulate a post-closure site use plan considering opinions of local people.

Secondary effects

• Water contamination - Leachate generated from landfill site, if not treated, contaminates river, sea and underground water.

• Gas generation - Main gases generated from the landfill site are methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide.

• Offensive odour - There are two type of offensive odor generated from the landfill site. One is the odour generated from waste itself and the other is gases generated through waste decomposition .

• Pests - Kitchen waste tends to be the hotbed for flies, and attracts rodents and crows.

• Noise and vibration - Incoming waste transport vehicles and landfill equipment may be sources of noise and vibration.

• Fire may occur spontaneously due to methane gas generation or use of chemicals. Fire also may be caused by scavengers or other people.