Why Won’t the Landfill Near Me Take My Junk?
Why won’t the landfill near me take my junk?
This is a question that you are probably asking yourself right now if the nearest landfill refused to take your waste. Most people think that landfills take any kind of junk. However, that is not the case. When you learn more about different types of landfills, you will understand why the landfill near your location refused to take your items.
There are different types of landfills, and each has a restriction on what items can be dropped off there. To help you understand why the landfill near you did not accept your items for disposal, we will discuss different types of landfills. Other options may be available too such as how much does it cost to rent a dumpster in Austin?
What Is a Landfill?
Also known as a garbage dump, rubbish tip, or dumping ground, a landfill is a site specifically created for the disposal of waste materials. The landfill is the oldest and the most common type of waste disposal. Some landfill sites are used for waste management purposes such as temporary storage, transfer, or various stages of processing waste materials such as treatment, recycling, or sorting. Most landfills today are equipped with modern technology that helps to prevent contamination. They are also located far from homesteads and commercial buildings.
Types of Landfills
Currently, there are four different types of landfills, and each accepts specific types of waste.
1. Municipal Solid Waste Landfill
This is the most common type of landfill in the United States. If you throw your garbage in the trash can, the chances are that it will end up in municipal solid waste. A municipal landfill is the type of landfill that usually comes into people’s minds when they think about the landfill. However, just because they are the most common type of landfills and accept a wide variety of trash does not mean that they accept all kinds of rubbish.
Municipal solid waste landfills mostly accept household trash and rubbish. This means that most of your household rubbish is usually disposed of at municipal solid waste sites. They are located in each town and are usually located at a safe distance from residential and commercial buildings. They are also fitted with leech collection systems, drainage systems, gas lines, and liners that prevent groundwater from becoming contaminated and guarantee the safety of people working in the landfill.
2. Industrial Waste Landfills
Just as the name suggests, industrial waste landfills deal with industrial-related wastes such as concrete, lumber, bricks, metal, gypsum, asphalt, and building components such as doors, countertops, and cabinets. While any type of industrial waste can be tossed in these landfills, the most common type of waste dumped here is construction debris disposal. That is why they are popularly known as C&D landfills.
Industrial waste landfills are engineered specifically to safely accommodate many different industrial wastes such as pesticides, construction debris, and concretes. However, it is important to note that hazardous construction materials such as asbestos cannot be tossed in industrial waste landfills.
Most industrial waste landfills also serve as material recovery facilities. This means that some items dumped in these landfills are later sorted. The recyclable materials are sent to appropriate factories, while those that can be donated are sent to businesses that have specialized in reclaiming industrial materials. Some industrial landfills repurpose recycled wastes on-site. They are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that can, for instance, convert lumber and chip it into mulch and later be resold.
3. Hazardous Waste Landfills
Hazardous landfills are specially designed for the disposal of hazardous waste products. Due to the nature of products that hazardous landfills accept, they are usually subjected to strict EPA regulations. Failure to adhere to these regulations may result in the closure of the landfill and, in some cases, the arrest of the people running the landfill.
A hazardous landfill must contain a double liner, efficient leak detection technology, and an efficient runoff system to ensure no leakage of toxic materials into the surrounding environment. These landfills are inspected regularly to ensure that they comply with the regulations that have been put in place by EPA.
Hazardous landfills are usually extremely strict on the type of waste they allow. If the materials you are dumping are hazardous, you cannot just wake up in the morning and dump your materials. You must notify them in advance, and even then, it is not a guarantee that your hazardous material will be accepted. These landfills prefer to work with registered waste management companies. So, if you want to dump hazardous materials, it is recommended that you hire the services of a licensed waste management company. This will make your work much easier.
4. Green Waste Landfills
Green waste landfills are not officially recognized as a type of landfill by the EPA. However, this type of landfill is gaining popularity in many states across the country. The rise in popularity of this type of landfill is because most municipal solid waste landfills nowadays don’t accept organic wastes such as vegetable and fruit remains. Just as its name suggests, green waste is designed to accept green wastes. Common types of waste dumped in green waste landfills include weeds, mulch, leaves, grass, and flower trimmings, tree branches, leaves, and much more.
The main purpose of green waste landfills is to accommodate green waste materials that are not accepted in municipal solid waste landfills. They also help to save space on MSW landfills which are filling up fast.
Landfills have come a long way and play a crucial role in managing wastes. If you have been wondering why the landfills near you will not accept your rubbish, we hope this article has answered your question.
Different landfills are designed for different purposes. For instance, a hazardous landfill cannot accommodate industrial wastes and vice versa. Before you take your rubbish to a particular landfill, it is important first to inquire about the type of waste that the landfill accepts. It is also important to give prior notice before taking your junk to the landfill.
To avoid all the unpleasant surprises and the hustle of taking your junk to the landfill, working with a reputable waste management company is better. This way, you do not have to worry whether the waste you are disposing of will be accepted in your nearby landfill or not. They will handle everything for you.
Whether industrial waste, municipal solid waste, green waste, or hazardous waste, a reputable waste management company will quickly and safely collect it and dump it in the right landfills.