There is something new going on at California’s Yolo County Central Landfill that could change the direction of solid waste management. The concept is to accelerate the decomposition process of the waste through controlled additions of liquid and leachate recirculation, which enhances the growth of the microbes responsible for solid waste decomposition. Conventional landfilling practices are designed to keep the waste as dry as possible, which prolongs the decomposition process for long periods of time, often many decades. The goal of the project is to show that landfilled waste can be decomposed or “stabilized” in 5 to 10 years. The project consists of two demonstration landfill cells; each is filled with about 9,000 tons of curbside garbage. One cell receives controlled liquid additions and recirculated leachate, while the other cell serves as a control to represent a conventional landfill. The cell that receives liquid additions is called the “enhanced” cell. Several benefits of this landfilling approach are outlined below. More >>
