Landfilling

Unique identifier / Notation

TL0043

Synonyms

Dumping ground,

Waste disposal site,

Dumpsite (including engineered dumpsite),

Garbage tip,

Rubbish pile,

Dump waste (including fly-tip).

Landfilling is the final placement of waste into or onto the land in a controlled way. The definition covers both landfilling at internal sites (i.e., where a generator of waste is carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of generation) and at external sites (United Nations, 2016).

Primary reference(s)

United Nations, 2016. Environmental Indicators: Waste. United Nations Statistics Division. Accessed 19 November 2019.

Additional scientific description

The following distinction between landfill and dumpsite is provided by the Joint United Nations Environment Programme / United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Environment Unit (Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, 2011):

Landfill: A scientifically designed and constructed site where waste is disposed of systematically where all emissions of gases, liquids and solid materials are controlled and not allowed to contaminate the surrounding environment.
Dumpsite: A non-scientifically designed and constructed site where waste is disposed of unsystematically, and where gas emissions, liquid leakage and solids contamination of the surrounding environment is not controlled or managed and where scavenging by waste pickers often takes place.

Other mechanisms for defining landfilling exist. The Basel Convention assists in defining these. Waste deposits into or onto land are used for the disposal of waste in most countries. If these deposits are not designed and operated in an environmentally sound manner, they can present risks to human health and the environment (Basel Convention Secretariat, 2019). Specially engineered landfill (e.g., placement into lined discrete cells which are capped and isolated from one another and the environment, etc) allows for the final disposal of hazardous wastes and other wastes in an environmentally sound manner with limited impact to water, air, soil, plants or animals, and for control over noise or odours without adverse effects on the landscape, places of special interest and the environment (Basel Convention Secretariat, 2019).

The Basel Convention Technical Guidelines on Specially Engineered Landfill (Basel Convention Secretariat, 2002) also identify the following types of landfill: historic, closed sites; historic, still operating; green field sites; specific operational types of landfill (containment sites and landfills providing for attenuated release); specially engineered landfill.

Metrics and numeric limits

Not available.

Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (1989). At the time of writing, there were 187 parties to the Basel Convention (UN Treaty Collection, 2019).

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

A report by the International Solid Waste Association noted that as of 2015, dumpsites received about 40% of the world’s waste (including municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, hazardous waste, e-waste, healthcare risk waste etc.) (ISWA, 2015). The report went on to suggest that the 50 biggest dumpsites in 2015 were daily affecting the lives of at least 64 million people. A series of studies documented that dumpsites can have serious effects on the health and wellbeing of the population and environment (ISWA, 2015).

A wide range of toxic substances for human health can be released into the environment from uncontrolled waste disposal, such as methane, carbon dioxide, benzene and cadmium. Hazardous compounds from industrial production such as asbestos and lead are also likely to be found at dumpsites.

The health and environmental impacts of landfills and dumpsites are particularly associated with the emissions from waste decomposition, namely leachate and biogas. Leachate if not properly controlled, may pass through the underlying soil and contaminate sources of drinking water, as well as surface water. The decomposition of waste also brings about the generation of gases, mainly a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide (about 50–50% in anaerobic conditions), known as ‘biogas’. Methane is lighter than air and highly flammable. If it enters a closed building and the concentration increases to about 5–15% in the air, a spark or a flame is likely to cause a serious explosion. In addition, if open burning of solid waste occurs (a normal practice to reduce volume), it could result in the emission of toxic substances to the air from the burning of plastics and other materials (ISWA, 2015:11).

Landfills and dumpsites can also cause soil pollution. Leachate from the waste matrix carries different metals, which are then transferred to plants in the soil by different pathways and eventually end up either in water held in the soil or leached to the underground water table or aquifers (ISWA, 2015). Waste in open dumps may become a breeding ground for insects, rodents and other disease vectors (WHO, 2013).

Epidemiological studies demonstrate that from the human health perspective, cancer and congenital malformation are potential health outcomes associated with exposure to dumpsites (ISWA, 2015). Collapse of sites has become more frequent at solid waste final disposal sites in urban areas in low- and lower-middle income countries, causing casualties. Uncontrolled dumpsites are often heavily scavenged by waste pickers exacerbating potential exposure contact. Health risks can be decreased through implementation of on-site measures (ISWA, 2015).

Guidelines for National Waste Management Strategies: Moving from Challenges to Opportunities – a joint effort of the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research – provides a conceptual and methodological framework for national planning that countries may adapt to their particular circumstances. It also establishes a clear rationale for making waste management a national priority (UNEP and UNITAR, 2013).