To maintain sanitary conditions and minimise the environmental impact of landfilling operations, EPA requirements in Australia and most parts of the developed world specify that at the end of each working day all exposed waste surfaces must be covered.
Daily cover serves to minimise windblown litter, control odours and dust, reduce fire risk, prevent scavenging and vermin, shed surface water as well as improving the overall appearance of the landfill.
Traditionally, daily cover is a layer of compacted soil or other EPA approved material to a minimum depth of 150 – 300 mm depending on the specific licencing conditions in the area, however alternative’s such as spray-on foams, rigid covers, films and geosynthetic covers (tarpaulins) offer many additional benefits for the landfill operator.
Some of the benefits of alternate daily cover (ADC) include:
- Conserve valuable air space – extend the life of your landfill and use the space to generate revenue instead
- Reduce costs – save on purchasing soil cover and minimise machine hours and fuel costs to apply cover material
- Improved landfill gas and leachate management – layers of soil create a barrier for the movement of gas and leachate within the landfill
- Improved compaction – to maximize air space utilisation
- Minimise dust issues – One of the main causes of dust at landfills is the movement of soil, an ADC significantly reduces the need to move soil around
- Reduce odour – If the ADC machine is fitted with odour control, your landfill will minimise complaints to regulatory authorities.
