Does biodegradation occur in landfills?
There is a common misperception that biodegradation doesn’t occur in landfills. Biodegradation occurs in all landfills, although the rate can differ depending on the type of landfill. Traditional landfills slow the natural biodegradation process down through a containment strategy – an attempt to preserve trash rather than let it biodegrade. Fortunately, there is a new generation of landfills, called bio-reactors, that actually accelerate biodegradation. The benefits of these new landfills are twofold: first, a significant decrease in required landfill space, and second, the production and capture of methane for energy usage (see more on this benefit, below).
There is a common misperception that biodegradation doesn’t occur in landfills. Biodegradation occurs in all landfills, although the rate can differ depending on the type of landfill. Traditional landfills slow the natural biodegradation process down through a containment strategy – an attempt to preserve trash rather than let it biodegrade. Fortunately, there is a new generation of landfills where leachate (landfill liquid) is collected and recirculated which accelerates biodegradation. The benefits of these new landfills are twofold: first, a significant decrease in required landfill space, and second, the production and capture of methane for energy usage (see more on this benefit, below).
