What happens at the landfill site?
When waste is received at the landfill site, it is weighed and checked then tipped into the landfill where it is compacted and covered to prevent odour, litter, and pest infestations. The waste will gradually decompose. This decomposition process, mixed with rainwater creates leachate (a type of liquid) and gas, which are both taken out of the landfill through a system of pipes. The leachates are treated in special pools on the site, then piped to a sewage treatment facility. The gas, mainly a mix of carbon dioxide and methane, is transported, through a series of pipes, to an on-site electricity generation plant which contributes energy to the national grid. When landfill has reached maximum capacity it is covered completely and restored using soils and compost, which has been created from the household garden waste collection.
