The Cleanup Of The Landfill

In 1969 it was discovered that the site was leaching due to a lack of a bottom liner. The landfill was leaching volatile organic compounds (VOC), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and explosive landfill gases (LFG).

Prior to the late 1950s the site was used as an excavation pit for sand and gravel. The quarry was subsequently used for the disposal of waste materials from 1950 until 1966. 10 acres of the 28-acre site has been used as a disposal area for several hazardous waste contaminants that included volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, vinyl chloride and xylene; other organics such as phenols and PCBs as well as lead. The main area of contamination is in the southern half of the 10 acre area which encompasses about 6 acres which

This is problematic and should undeniably be changed, as landfills are huge pollution hazards and should unquestionably have routinely environmental assessments. Landfill proponents followed the letter of the law/regulations however they did not follow the spirit of public participation where they actively consult residents and give them the opportunity to say ‘no’. Residents did express nuance account of the siting process where the proponents used jargon to further sustain the racial and socio-economic divide of the proponents and the resident’s, proponents of the landfill were mostly white and the residents were mostly black, contributing to this divide. As mentioned by the residents the problems concerning public participation are; the

The next Superfund that has greatly influenced the environment of Butler County is the Skinner Landfill. The Landfill is on 85 acres in West Chester (2). The facility was privately owned and was never actually licensed, so it closed in the 1970's (5). The landfill contains about 100 drums of chlorinated organics, and heavy metals. Along with the presence of the drums is the fact that a nearby lagoon was once used as a disposal for these contaminants, and that the site had problems with unauthorized dumping (5). Fortunately, no contaminants have been discovered leaving the site (5). The presence of these

According to our recent research and analysis, pelletizing our fly ash waste and selling it to the public as low-grade fertilizer would rid us of approximately 500 tons a year. However, we do have the capacity to dump this harmless fly ash on our back 40 acres, an area of land that was classified as a Type III landfill in 1979. Due to a crackdown on the general public and their free dumping on our lot, our forty acres were not approved for fly ash, but now 35 years later the 40 acre landfill is safe and ready for use with no liability to be seen by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

John-Manville Corp is the site of 150-acre asbestos disposal. Around 3 million cubic yards of specification products and wastewater sludge were disposed of at the site. They stopped operations in the site in 1998 and former manufacturing buildings were torn down in 2000-2001. Asbestos is the main problem, during clean up asbestos contamination was found outside of the fence line. Outboard Marine Corporation is on the north section of the Waukegan Harbor. It was an outboard-boat-motor manufacturing plant. The contaminants include PCB’s, OMC that are used in hydraulic fluids, and TCE. Yeoman Creek Landfill is on the northwest side of Waukegan. The landfill was open from 1959-1969. The landfill did not have a bottom liner and the soil was permeable. The liquid from the landfill contained chemicals with elevated concentrations of metals and ammonia. Gas from the landfill was detected off site. North Shore Gas North Plant has was contaminated with residuals the past plan operations. North Shore Gas South Plant includes 1.9 acre former MGP facility along Pershing Road and bordering areas where MGP residuals are now found. MGP’s are industrial facilities that produced gas from coal, oil, and other

The purpose of the landfill was to bury the large amount of contaminated the soil with toxic Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), a class of chemicals so toxic that Congress banned production later. The whole story began in 1973 when Ward PCB Transformers Company dumped more than 30,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated oil on the side of state roads in 14 North Carolina counties. The trucker, who was responsible for taking the oil to a facility to be recycled, disposed of it discreetly and illegally. The person in charge of the company and the trucker was sent to jail for a short time for their negligence on the matter. Contaminants left in the truck and factory was detoxified. However, the area around the factory as well as the lakes and rivers close to the road had been polluted. As a result, more than 60,000 tons of oils were polluted with toxic PCB.

Superfund sites are districts in communities that have abandoned hazardous wastes on territories that need immediate removal.In the early 70’s the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 encouraged Superfund statues in Washington and these statues handle issues associated with land pollution and abandoned hazardous waste on territories .Superfund acts aid Washington and environmental agencies with removing hazardous waste and it also, allows them to pursue people and corporations that own hazardous waste territories. The principles for the Superfund acts include the quick removal of hazardous materials when environmental regulations demand it, bringing legal disputes against owners of hazardous waste territories, initiating communities and states in waste removal processes and developing extended programs that protect citizens from hazardous waste territories .In the late 70's environmental advocates discovered the contamination at the Superfund site called the Love Canal in Niagara Falls ,NY and they also discovered the surrounding territories contained pollutants and abandoned hazardous waste .The Love Canal is New York states first case of environmental neglect by a corporation and this community and facilities contained hazardous polluted water and dirt that resulted from years of accidental spills ,leaks and irresponsible business recycling

The prevalence of environmental issues in the public awareness reached a point where government was forced to take action in 1979. When Henry Love abandoned construction of a canal in New York in 1920, the site was bought by Hooker Chemical and used as a toxic chemical waste dumping site for the next 33 years (Schons 2011). Then in 1953 Hooker Chemical sold the Love Canal to the school board, and construction of a school began. In the mid to late 1970s, when children’s shoes began melting to the ground and children got sick the residents organized and protested. Media coverage increased and showed toxic black sludge oozing into people’s basements (Schons 2011). The lack of awareness of environmental and health consequences of chemical dumping

Later the EPA admitted that people who work at the West Lake Landfill have to be cautious and careful to protect their health. According to Veronica LaCapra’s report, "Landfill Fire Threatens Nuclear Waste Site Outside St. Louis." if the Westlake Landfill’s soil is disarranged, “radioactive dust particles could be released into the atmosphere.” Unfortunately, it may lead to the inhalation of airborne radioactive dust particles. If these particles are inhaled by workers it could seriously harm their health. The EPA suggested that continued monitoring is advised and necessary, due to possible elevated levels of radon in the air at the landfill and the surrounding area. It seems full safety processes must be put into place to reduce harmful dusting to protect everyone from potential exposure during any cleanups.

Worthley, J. A., and R. Torkelson. "Managing the Toxic Waste Problem: Lessons from the Love Canal." Administration & Society 13.2 (1981): 145-60. Web.

Hazardous waste and its proper disposal have become a major sociological problem today due to its capability of contaminating the area in which we live and its potential to be lethal to all living things. In order for the United States and the rest of the world to save itself from a potentially life threatening problem they must fix the causes which lead to the improper disposal of hazardous wastes and like materials. Some reasons that hazardous waste has become a problem in the United States today is due to the breakdown in enforcing laws for the proper disposal of such wastes, a lack of initiative on big companies behalf to spend money on proper disposal, and the ease of disposing of such wastes illegally.

Landfills dumping can disrupt natural processes on land and in the water. Dumping can interfere with proper drainage of runoff. Areas are more susceptible to flooding when waste blocks

Landfill gas is a complex mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill. Approximately 46% of landfill gas is composed of methane. Most of the rest component is carbon dioxide. Also there is trace amount of other volatile organic compounds which comprises less than 1%. The developed pressure, concentration and temperature gradients cause the landfill gas emissions to the atmosphere vertically and migrations to surrounding soil laterally. Gas migration is an indicator of landfill failure because landfill gas becomes a threat to environment when emitted into atmosphere, since both methane and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases. Also, the trace amount of other volatile organic compounds can present serious health hazards (Nastev, 2001). Landfill gas will also pollute land when migrates to surrounding soil.

The Choosing of a Landfill Site There is currently much debate on the desirability of landfilling particular wastes, the practicability of alternatives such as waste minimisation or pre- treatment, the extent of waste pre-treatment required, and of the most appropriate landfilling strategies for the final residues. This debate is likely to stimulate significant developments in landfilling methods during the next decade. Current and proposed landfill techniques are described in this information sheet. Types of landfill Landfill techniques are dependent upon both the type of waste and the landfill management strategy.