Comparison between closure & corrective action at a landfill

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1. Closure at a landfill:
When a landfill owner or operator stops accepting waste, the landfill must be closed in a way that will prevent problems at a later stage. This process is known as closure of a landfill. The final cover must be designed to keep liquid away from the buried waste. For 30 years after closure, the owner or operator must continue to maintain the final cover, monitor ground water to ensure the unit is not leaking, collect and monitor landfill gas, and perform other maintenance activities. States and tribes with approved programs may vary this period based on local conditions.

The landfill operators must keep two basic goals in mind during the closure of a landfill. They are:
(a) minimizing the need for continual maintenance of the landfill site; and
(b) placing the landfill in such a condition, so as to minimize any future environmental impacts. In other words, the closure of a landfill should not lead to such environmental consequences which might cause harm to the lives of humans and other living beings.

The basic principles of landfill closure are as follows:
1.As soon as the landfill site is closed to public access, the facility and surrounding area should be cleaned up, so as to consolidate any waste piles or piles of metallic materials, burnable materials, debris, and windblown paper, and place them in a final disposal cell for final covering.
2.Special attention should be given to any environmentally sensitive areas where waste may have been piled too steeply, may have been placed in or next to wetlands, or where wastes have been placed in drainage ways or in areas that impede surface water drainage.
3.Site closure should enable to reduce the environmental impact of such improper disposal. Waste ...