Siting

Question 1

Why is landfill siting a process that often takes decades to complete?

Answer 1

: It is a complex procedure that is controlled by democratic processes that should be
allowed to take time

Question 2

What are the principal aspects to consider in a landfill siting process? Give one example
for each category.

Answer 2

• Techno-economic aspects
  (Waste fluxes and character, geographic distribution, alternative management options)
• Environmental aspects
  (Natural environment – Character of the recipient, available resources (e g clays),
  ecological impact)
• Social and political aspects
  (what are the competing land uses, who is affected and how to communicate during the
  process, permissions, cultural and historical resources)

Question 3

When siting a new landfill in Sweden, there is a legal requirement to invite and listen to
the public in the planning process. Discuss how, in practice, the consultation of the public can
be done. What purposes should such consultation serve?

Answer 3

• Meetings, publications, interviews and questionnaires (media could be printed, ether
  media or the web)
• Retrieve knowledge e g about alternative sites, from the public, inform the public,
  understand the concern of the public, making people realize the need and use of a
  landfill, get feedback for the development of solutions. Develop a political support.

Question 4

Describe important steps of the procedure for landfill siting. Which step usually takes
most time and why?

Answer 4

1. Identify potential sites within the region based on
   * Geographical, geological and hydrogeological considerations
   physical stability, flooding risks, ecological habitats, hydrological barriers,
   vulnerability of local surface and groundwater bodies
   * Physical planning (conflicting interests, distances ↔ accessibility, …)
   * Landscaping and capacity estimates - Is there enough space?
   * Selection procedures (graphical or ranking procedures)
   * Public involvement
2. Select the most promising candidate sites and evaluate in detail
3. Final selection of the best site for development
4. Acquisition and legal approval of the site

Question 5

Describe a possibility to integrate landfills with natural retention and adsorption systems

Answer 5

Looking at the naturally occurring detoxification systems for heavy metals, immobilisation in sediments is the mechanism that frees the biosphere from these substances.
The closed landfill slowly leaks metals, nutrients, and other potentially
polluting substances, which by their passage through the unsaturated zone are delayed and partly transformed and decomposed. (As a final trap for metals and other contaminants, a reduced environment in the form of a growing organic soil serves, i.e. the long term leachate treatment is powered by solar energy.)
Similar processes also happen after the leached substances have reached the saturated zone, but the transport is expected to be faster there, and a certain dilution occurs. When the diluted leachate then reaches the outflow zone, for instance in a swamp, the leached nutrients will contribute to a primary production there and indirectly strengthen the already existing
anaerobic environment of the deeper parts of the swamp. A reduced environment in the form of a growing organic soil (peat bog) can serve as a final trap for metals and other
contaminants. This way, the separation of several risk components is enhanced through
precipitation and adsorption processes.