A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world. Many landfills accept uncontaminated soil, green waste, and asphalt loads such as the temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or processing of waste material. Unless they are stabilized, these areas may experience severe shaking or soil liquefaction of the ground during a large earthquake.
In order to meet certain specifications in non-hazardous waste landfills, techniques are applied by which wastes restricted to small areas are compressed to reduce their volume and then they are covered with soil daily. In the landfill operations, vehicles which collect wastes are weighed and their loads are screened for wastes that do not fulfill the criteria of the landfills. After deposition of the waste, bulldozers or compactors spread and compress the waste on the working face. This compacted waste is covered with soil or any other alternative material daily. The alternative material that is used to cover the compressed waste is chipped wood or other green waste. The space that is filled with the compacted waste and cover material is known as daily cell. The compression of waste to make it compact is important because it extends the life of the landfill.
An advantage of landfills is that the waste can be used as direct fuel for combustion or indirectly as processed fuel. However, landfills that are poorly designed or managed share the same problems that uncontrolled dumping areas face, which makes them a potential hazard to the environment.
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