Definition

Landfills are locations where disposable materials are sent, which are then buried underground. During this process, precautions are taken to prevent the waste from reaching and potentially contaminating any groundwater.

Types of Landfills

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfills: MSW landfills are the most common types of landfills and is where household waste is disposed.

Industrial Waste Landfills: These landfills dispose of commercial and institutional waste.

Hazardous Waste Landfills: These facilities receive specialty waste that needs to be carefully handled because it has the potential to be harmful if not disposed properly.

Want to Know More?

Landfills have remained almost unchanged since their earliest known existence. In Ancient Greece, Minoan Cretans would dump waste into open pits and bury it later, this created an early version of a landfill. The first sanitary landfill that resembles today’s landfill, was created in 1937 in Fresno, California.

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Other Sources

“For Education.” Began with the Bin. http://beginwiththebin.org/resources/for-education. Accessed May 3, 2016.

Wallace, Bob. “US Landfill Disposal the Big Picture – WIH Resource Group.” WIH Resource Group. January 13, 2010. https://wihresourcegroup.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/us-landfill-disposal-the-big-picture-wih-resource-group/. Accessed May 10, 2016.

https://www.epa.gov/landfills/basic-information-about-landfills#whatis