What Happens at a Landfill?

Walker Visits Grady Rd. Landfill

02/21/08

1. What types of waste are diverted to this landfill?

• MSW (Municipal Solid Waste)-85%

• C&D (Construction and Demolition) -10%

• Special Waste-5% (ex: industrial car stuffing, not MSW but not hazardous)

• NO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL

2. What are the primary sources of waste for this landfill

• Restaurants

• Schools

• Homes

• Construction sites

3. How much waste do you receive on a given day?

• Medium-sized land fill (60acres)

• 27,000,000 cubic ft. of airspace

• 180 tons from POLK, 1200 tons/day

4. Is the waste separated in the landfill?

• Not at Grady

• Some other landfills separate between different types of waste from different sources

– MSW

– Construction

– Yard waste

5. What are the different jobs and equipment used to process the waste

at the landfill?• Evacuators – clear out waste from dropping

site

• Compactors – increase space

• Bulldozers – transport waste

6. What is the basic structure of this landfill?

• Phase 1

– Double cover

• Phase 2

– Double cover

• No chemicals to promote composition needed

7. What steps do you take to prevent erosion, run-off from heavy rains, or the spreading of

pathogens, and the subsequent contamination of the surrounding area?

• Use liners

• test the runoff for lichgate seeping through

8. What water monitoring test do you conduct on the lechate (biological oxygen

demand, pH, temperature, pressure, moisture content, movement of fluids)?

• Groundwater wells

• consultants take samples to lab and test every 3 months

9. Do you collect the methane and recycle it for energy?

• Not yet

• 2012 – methane collection devices being installed