ntroduction to Solid Waste Landfills

Dealing with the vast quantities of waste that our industrial society produces has become a major challenger for business and government. Improper past disposal practices have caused environmental degradation. need for costly remedial actions, and public opposition to the siting of new facilities. In some areas of the country, waste is being hauled hundreds of miles as communities search for disposal options.
Until recently, managing waste was primarily a local matter. Now, both the federal and state governments are beginning to impose stricter regulations on design and operation of facilities that manage or dispose waste. Protecting the public from the potential environmental and health impacts of poor waste management practices has become a national mandate. Improved technology for collecting, processing, and disposing waste is being demanded by the public. Unless the future proves that our society can manage waste better than in the past, public opposition will continue to grow, costs will continue to rise, and the cali for tighter and tighter restrictions will grow louder.
At the heart of the debate is the landfill. Because old landfills were developed more to provide cheap disposal alternatives than to protect the environment, many have leaked. But newer landfills are designed to contain waste.