Conestoga / New Morgan Landfill

When waste arrives in a landfill it needs to be sorted out first. Therefore, we have waste sorting stations. These are specialized for municipal waste and not for other types of landfills. Garbage trucks dump their municipal waste. Then the waste is separated into recyclable waste and non-recyclable materials. The non-recyclable garbage is then separated into hazardous waste, energy recyclable waste, landfill waste, or incinerator waste. Afterward that it has been sorted out, it is then loaded onto garbage trucks, and this deposits the waste onto their designated places.

After all the cells in a landfill are used and are full, then we start the process of reclaiming. The idea is that the space on top of the landfill can be used for other purposes. Whatever is the type of landfill, the space on top of it is covered by layers of dirt, to recreate reusable soil. The space is compacted, and it is made sure to be leakproof so that there is no spillage onto the environment.

There are specific laws that regulate the use of landfills after being full and there are specific measures to be taken and to assure compliance. For chemical and garbage that is hazardous, there is a synthetic material that covers it. There is an intricate drainage system. For general garbage, there is a liner system at the bottom area of the cells. The top is covered by topsoil, clay, and synthetic materials.

After this has been done, the space on top of the landfill can support various uses. It can be used to create parks, As of right now, there are more than 1000 parks in the USA that originated from landfill places. The area on top can be used to generate electricity and attach solar panels. This idea is a bit dangerous as the ground below can shift during the years. The area on top of a landfill can even support wildlife habitats, as the layers of clay and dirt that cover the landfill can support and grow trees.

There is an interesting type of landfill, inert landfills. This type of landfill receives sand, concrete, and other waste related to construction. This type of waste does not have any biohazards nor decomposes, or it does so very slowly. These types of waste neither produce liquid waste. In this category, we mostly have asphalt, rocks, bricks, yard leaves. In this category, we do not include demolition waste.

The first step onto the waste stations is to weigh the incoming garbage trucks. These sites are also open to the public and they help the community. The work of waste sorting stations is very important, and it helps to optimize the process of waste management. Transfer stations pre-compact the waste thus it is easier for the bulldozers to manage the waste at the sanitary landfills.

There is a lot of waste generated in the USA. In 2018, there were 292 million tons of waste generated. Averagely that is 4.9 Lb. of waste per person. The waste from municipalities is recycled the most. The data says that in 2018, there was a recycling rate of 32%. Some of the waste is reprocessed not other means such as bio-chemical management.The largest categories of waste pertain to paper, food plastics, yard trims, and metals. Food, plastics, and paper make are the main resources for energy production from waste.