Anatomy of a Santek Landfill...

Today’s Landfill is an Advanced Contained Ecosystem Designed
to Provide an Environmentally Responsible Solution for the Community it Serves.

Every landfill is individually engineered and designed to meet the demands of the environment and the needs of a community. A modern landfill consists of a series of natural and synthetic liners, drainage systems and sophisticated caps designed to protect groundwater.

You can get a closer look by clicking on sections of the image below.

© Santek Environmental, Inc.

1. Buffer Area

2. Leachate (Arrows)
Leachate is a by-product of landfills, formed by the decomposition of garbage mixed with rainwater. Leachate will percolate through the layers of
a landfill toward the groundwater.

3. Soil Layer
A 12- to 18-inch layer of soil separates the first cell and the granular drainage layer.

4. Granular Drainage Layer

5. Textile Mat

6. Geotextile Mat
A nonwoven, fabric mat protects the plastic liner from the gravel in the washed rock layer.

7. Washed Rock
Leachate percolates through this layer of washed gravel.

8. Plastic Liner
This polyethylene liner is designed to prevent leachate from draining into the groundwater.

9. Compacted Clay
Compacted clay must separate a landfill from groundwater. If soil does not meet density standards, bentonite may be added to the soil to create this dense layer of clay.

10. Liner Seams
Sections of the plastic liner are bonded together by heat welding. Seams are tested while the landfill is in use for strength and impermeability.

11. Ground Water

12. Leachate Collection Pipe
Leachate drains into pipes where it is pumped to holding ponds or tanks.

13. Site Analysis
A study must be made of an area before it can be approved as a landfill site. This analysis examines the wildlife living in the area, as well as the condition of the underlying soil and bedrock. It must also be determined if the site has historical or archaeological value.

14. Creating A Sub-Cell
Each day trash is piled, compacted and covered with a layer of dirt. This pocket of garbage is called a sub-cell.

15. Old Sub-Cells
By compacting and covering trash in one-day units, the formation of methane gas and leachate is reduced.

16. Landfill Walls
The walls of a landfill may be lined with a geotextile nonwoven fabric mat and a polyethylene liner. The mat and liner are anchored inside the earthen embankment.

17. Holding Pond
The leachate formed in a landfill may be pumped into a holding pond. The leachate is broken down through oxidation, then taken to a waste water treatment facility.