Parts of a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill
Electricity generator
building
When a landfill is full, a layer of
soil, plastic, and clay seal in trash.
Leachate tank
Landfill cap - when landfill is closed
Vegetation
Soil
Gas collector
Plastic Liner
Gravel and
drainage
Clay
Methane gas
recovery well
Pipes collect
methane gas
to burn or
use as fuel.
Trash
Groundwater monitoring
well for
leachate
Soil
monitoring
well for
leachate
and gas
Trash
Landfill components - below trash
Trash
Gravel and
drainage Soil
Leachate
collection pipe Plastic liner
Groun
dwate
r
Geo textile mat
Clay
Graphic adapted from Wastenotnc.org
Landfill Language
Ground water - Water that
flows beneath the ground and
needs to be protected.
Compacted clay - A type of soil that is
nearly waterproof when compacted.
Plastic liner – A puncture-
resistant plastic layer.
Leachate collection pipe – Water
that trickles through the landfill is
called leachate and may contain
harmful substances that need to
be separated from groundwater.
Geotextile mat – A mat that allows
water to drain through to the leachate
collection system and protects the
liner from tearing or puncturing.
Gravel and drainage layer- Stones
and rock that help filter the leachate.
Soil - The final layer before
trash is put into the landfill.
Leachate collection
systems can be gravity
fed or pumped into
tanks or retention ponds
for temporary storage
before treatment.
“I used to think that when I threw
away a banana peel, it would
compost and return nutrients to
soils. Then I started my job and
learned that throwing away food
is like putting the peel in a plastic
bag (trash bag) inside another
plastic bag (lined landfill). The food
decomposes and releases methane
(gas) affecting the environment. The
valuable nutrients are lost because
they never return to feed the soil.
What a waste!” - Virginia Till, EPA
www.GrowingYourFuture.com - 3