Aerobic landfill test cells and their implications for sustainable waste disposal

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills world-wide are experiencing the consequences of conventional landfilling techniques, whereby anaerobic conditions are created within the landfill waste. Under anaerobic conditions, slow stabilization of the waste mass occurs, producing methane, (an explosive, 'greenhouse' gas) and toxic leachate over long periods of time. As a potential solution, it was demonstrated that the aerobic degradation of MSW within a landfill can significantly increase the rate of waste decomposition and settlement, decrease the production of methane gas, reduce the level of toxic organics in the leachate and decrease quantities of landfill leachate that need treatment. This paper summarizes the successful results of two separate aerobic landfill projects located in Georgia (USA) and discusses the potential economic and environmental impacts to world-wide solid waste management.