Pg. 1Introduction to Landfills Pg. 2 Map of Landfill Pg. 3 Leachate Treatment/Collection Pg. 4 Contamination & Pollution Pg. 5Geological Features Pg.

Pg. 1 Introduction to LandfillsPg. 2 Map of Landfill

Pg. 3 Leachate Treatment/CollectionPg. 4 Contamination & Pollution

Pg. 5 Geological FeaturesPg. 6 Methane Use

Pg. 7 Picture a Mini-LandfillPg. 8 Data Table

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A Look at a Landfill

Cedar Hills Regional Landfill

Procedural Landfill

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•A plastic and a clay layer beneath the garbage prevents contamination of ground water.

Prevention Today, No Problem Tomorrow

•30 year post-closure monitoring period upon landfill closure.

•It takes about 5 minutes to unload an 18-ton trailer full of garbage.

•Every day, we add approximately 2,000 tons of garbage to the landfill!

•As many as a dozen trailers may be unloading at the same time.

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Did Someone Pass Gas?

•One of the main problems and reasons for high cost of landfills is the methane use.

•Methane is a highly flammable, colorless, odorless gas produced from decomposition in landfills.

•Methane gas is pumped out of landfills in pipes and taken to a storage house for it, where it is then used as fuel or an energy source, or used in other compounds like chloroform or methylene chloride. *

•Landfill gas, a byproduct of the decomposition of garbage, is collected and piped to a flare station, where it is burned. 6

Pictures From a Landfill

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10/22/08 10/29/08 11/05/08 11/12/08 11/19/08

Total Weight of Contents

100.27 g 94.51g 90.35g 87.78g 87.56g

Observation of Trash

Becomes moist

Very soggy Turns black

Remains black

Break-down

ASoil

Very moist

Soil remains moist

Slight discoloration

Holds in moisture

Soil never dries

BToxic Waste

Comes to top

Remains sedentary

Cannot be seenCauses smell

Bottom of bottleStill stinks

Remains at bottom smell persists

CTrash

Becomes moist

Very soggy Turns black

Remains black

Break-down

DSoil

Very moist

Soil remains moist

Slight discoloration

Holds in moisture

Soil never dries

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My Final Words(Conclusion)

1) We deposit solid waste into the ground so that it cannot pollute the air or the water. But once in the ground the waste breaks down and through reactions can cause numerous outcomes.2) Trash is broken down, due to the darkness, mild temp, and sometimes moisture. But in some cases can take long periods of time to do so, or not at all.3) My landfill’s physical characteristics did not change, but there sure was a chemical change occurring, denoted by the smell, percipient, and the water’s change of color.4) This is like an actual landfill in the fact that these processes do occur, but due to the massive size differences these changes could occur faster or slower and can actually effect the environment.5) In my own home, we could recycle more to reduce the amount of waste put into landfills, and advocate recycling in other households.* The purpose of the experiment was achieved, because through the mini-landfill I was about to see what happens at a landfill, and through the research I was about to learn about the operation of a landfill.

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Works Cited

http://www.metrokc.gov/DNR/Kidsweb/landfill.htm

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill