Landfills In Rochester

The purpose of landfills

Landfills are locations where rubbish is buried after being dumped. They are occasionally employed to hold solid waste produced by industrial processes. Solid trash is often segregated at the source and transported to a recycling facility in affluent nations. 

When an electronic item becomes “e-waste,” it is disassembled and sold to a buyer of scrap metal. The remainder of them are transferred to landfills where they are buried beneath tonnes of garbage and dirt. The majority of people don’t understand the significance of recycling, which is the main cause of this.

Types of landfills

Municipal Waste Landfills

There are places to put trash that keep it out of the environment until it is safe. It is safe when it has lost all of its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Sanitary landfills use technology to keep dangerous substances from leaking out and to keep trash from spreading. The trench method and the area method are the two main ways that sanitary landfills are run.

Landfills for municipal solid waste (Msw)

This kind of dump, which collects household trash, is regulated by the city and state. These landfills must meet the minimum standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some things may not be allowed in landfills for municipal solid waste. MSWs that are often banned include paints, cleaners, chemicals, motor oil, batteries, and pesticides. But you can recycle some household items into MSW and throw them away this way.

Landfills for building and remodelling waste

These landfills hold the trash that comes from building, remodelling, tearing down, and building bridges. Concrete, wood, asphalt, gypsum (the main ingredient in drywall), metals, bricks, glass, plastics, trees, stumps, dirt, rock, and building materials are all different kinds of waste (doors, windows, plumbing fixtures).

Landfills for industrial waste

Industrial hazardous waste is trash from manufacturing and other industrial activities that is not dangerous.

Specific landfills

Mill Seat Landfill 

Mill Seat Landfill is a state-of-the-art solid waste management facility that provides ecologically responsible disposal services to Monroe County individuals, businesses, and organisations. Over ninety-five percent of the facility’s garbage is generated within Monroe County. 

Mill Seat is a nonhazardous landfill designed with environmental protection technologies that meet or exceed stringent government rules and are subject to stringent monitoring and reporting. Systems consist of designed liners and covers, leachate collection and disposal, and landfi­ll gas collection and management. A NYSDEC observer is stationed on-site to oversee the daily operations of the landfill.

What are the environmental consequences of landfills?

Sites that house garbage dumps are unappealing. Furthermore, landfills are a major source of pollution and are related with a number of negative consequences in addition to the visual sore of growing piles of rubbish. Slow decay of garbage in landfills means it will be a concern for future generations.

The main problems with landfills are that they release toxins, leachate, and greenhouse gases. Bacteria in organic garbage cause garbage to break down. Leachate and landfill gas are created when weak acidic compounds produced by rotting garbage interact with waste liquids. Additionally, rat and seagull infestations cause their own waste concerns due to the scents, unattractive sights, and rat populations.

Toxins

Toxic chemicals can be found in many waste products. One such example is electronic garbage. There is a large list of harmful compounds in electronic waste such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium and PVC as well as solvents, acids and lead. As these pollutants accumulate in our soil and groundwater, they pose a long-term threat to the environment.

Leachate

When waste decomposes in the landfill and water passes through it, a liquid called leachate is generated. If consumed, this liquid can harm land, groundwater, and streams. Landfills are a major source of environmentally hazardous pollutants. As they decompose, plastics such as PVC and other materials emit harmful compounds.

In the developed world, electronic trash is the fastest-growing waste category. Despite the fact that it is the most dangerous form of household trash, the majority of it is disposed of in landfills. Heavy metals, solvents, and acids are found in electronic trash.

During the time it takes to fill a landfill cell, the contents are exposed to rain. A foul-smelling liquid known as leachate is created when rainwater filters through the landfill, dissolving and flushing off 5-7 percent of the poison residue.

Leachate from a single dump site can fill multiple Olympic-sized swimming pools per year, depending on the amount of rain that falls. In order to prevent contamination of land, groundwater, and waterways, leachate is collected and recirculated into the landfill cells. When leachate is returned to landfill, some of the toxins are reabsorbed, but the remainder filters through again, accumulating more toxins over time.

Greenhouse gas

Landfills pose a significant hazard to the environment through the creation of greenhouse gases.

Organic trash, like food scraps and green garbage, is typically compacted and covered when it is placed in a landfill. Anaerobic digestion occurs as a result of this process, which removes the oxygen. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is more powerful than carbon dioxide and will be released as a result of this process. Methane and carbon dioxide make up 35-55 percent of landfill gas, while the remaining 30 to 44 percent is made up of other gases. A buildup of methane, another combustible gas, can be hazardous if not dealt with promptly. Huge repercussions for global warming and climate change. Many of these issues can be alleviated by using a compost bin to compost your food leftovers and green waste.

Methane’s greenhouse effect is between 84 and 100 times stronger than carbon dioxide’s within the first 20 years after release. What matters most in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade or two decades is the trajectory we’re on.

Summary

If no earthquakes or explosions of underground methane gas occur, properly constructed and maintained landfills may be able to store hazardous chemical and leachate wastes for hundreds of years. However, this method cannot be used to contain landfill gases. Prior to the combustion of methane, landfills generate nearly as much carbon dioxide as they do methane. After accounting for methane emissions, an average landfill releases hundreds of tonnes of carbon dioxide every month. If we are to make our organisations and waste management more sustainable, we must do everything in our ability to eliminate landfill waste.

The Rochester Dumpster Rental Team plays a vital role in managing waste through efficient landfill services. Our commitment to responsible waste disposal benefits the environment and the community. With their expertise and dedication, we contribute to a cleaner, safer Rochester while promoting sustainability and responsible waste management.