What is a landfill?

A landfill is a highly engineered system comprised of many important components that ensure the safety and responsible disposal of waste. The system is designed to separate waste from the environment. We report to and work with multiple regulatory agencies to ensure proper design and disposal methods, including the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

What is a landfill

Landfill Cell

The area in a landfill that has been constructed and approved for disposal of waste

  • Cells range in size (depending upon total tons of waste received each day at the landfill) from a few acres to as large as 20+ acres
  • Cells can contain many layers until all the “air space” is used up for a particular cell
  • Waste that is placed in a cell must be covered daily. When a section is filled to capacity it is permanently capped with geosynthetic liners and topsoil
  • Each cell is lined with a highly engineered lined containment system consisting of multiple layers of protection.

Leachate System

System below surface of the landfill where liquids that are trapped inside the landfill (“leachate”) are collected and removed

  • The leachate collection system typically consists of a series of perforated pipes, gravel packs and a layer of sand or gravel placed in the bottom of the landfill
  • Once the leachate is removed from the landfill, it is either pumped or gravity-flowed to a holding tank or pond, where it is either treated, “hauled off” site or sent directly to a municipal sewer authority.

Methane collection system

Bacteria in the landfill break down the trash in the absence of oxygen. This process produces landfill gas, which is mostly natural gas

  • To remove the gas, a series of pipes are embedded within the landfill to collect the methane gas. This gas, once collected, can be either naturally vented, control-burned or converted to energy
  • Westmoreland has invested millions of dollars over the last several years to develop a gas collection system. In the coming months, we plan to invest more capital which will enable the development of green energy