Where Does Solid Waste Go?

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There are plenty of benefits to building your own single-family home. When you build rather than buy, you give yourself the chance to save on power bills by installing energy-efficient systems and appliances and even to haggle with the builder over home price and upgrades. Once financing is in place and mortgage rates are determined based on savings, credit history, and income, the building begins. During that process, many types of material are utilized, necessitating waste management systems for the disposal of scraps and other left over materials.

Most of those materials end up in landfills. These waste management systems seek to provide environmentally friendly places for waste to biodegrade. Many home builders don’t think about solid waste management as a major part of the home building process, but landfill consultants make themselves available to help builders choose the right garbage disposal services. Landfill services are among the most popular waste management systems suggested because of their convenience.

Sometimes, landfills get a bad wrap. Here, we’ll provide a few of the basics about landfills, hopefully helping readers to understand why they can be beneficial for disposal.

What is a Landfill?

A secure landfill is an engineered hole in the ground, or built above ground in a way resembling a football stadium. They aim to avoid connection between wastes and the surrounding environment through groundwater and are thusly lined to prevent leaks out of the bottom or over the top.

How Does a Landfill Work?

Landfill waste management systems have four important elements: a bottom liner, a leachate collection system, a cover, and the natural hydrogeologic setting. Bottom liners might be one or more layers of clay or a flexible, synthetic membrane to keep waste from migrating into the environment. Leachate collection systems are designed to collect leachate, water contaminated through contact with waste. This water seeps to the bottom of a landfill and is collected by a system of pipes which direct it to a wastewater treatment plant. The landfill cover works like an umbrella to keep water out of the landfill. Generally, it consists of several sloped layers. The natural hydrogeologic setting is the only factor that cannot be engineered. Landfills must be placed in locations where rocks are as tight and waterproof as possible and where geology is simple enough that the path of any leakage can be easily predicted.

Choosing waste management systems for the scraps from your newly built home is about finding a landfill that does its job well. Be sure to do your research and to choose a place that is environmentally friendly as well as convenient.

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