Sanitary Landfill as a Land Use

Excerpts from the report: Of the estimated 16,000 landfills in our nation, 94 percent are open dumps (with open burning, no daily cover, and no cover when completed). Less than 6 percent of the landfills meet the definition for a sanitary landfill. A landfill is actually an engineering project, as defined by the American Society of Civil Engineers: “A method of disposing of refuse on land without creating nuisances or hazards to public health or safety, by utilizing the principles of engineering to confine the refuse to the smallest practical area, to reduce it to the smallest practical volume, and to cover it with a layer of earth at the conclusion of each day's operation, or at such more frequent intervals as may be necessary.” At the present time, about 150 acres of land are required per year for sanitary landfill operation per million population. Another way of stating annual land use requirements is in acre-feet. Waste can be disposed on land to an average depth of 10 feet. About 1,500 acre-feet per year per million population are needed for current sanitary landfill operations.