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Landfills
Paul Dow
WasteAdvantage
The Advantage in the Waste Industry
There are Thousands of closed landfills in The u.s. Today, and many of them are currently being used for their landfill gas, recreational or community-development potential. Although large or recently closed landfills can be appealing for their surface area and greater landfill gas generation, it can be easy to overlook the benefits smaller closed landfills can provide. In many cases, a small closed landfill can be transformed into a wonderful community asset. This can be particularly true when considering harvesting landfill gas from small closed landfills. Small landfills (5 to 10 acres) or landfills that have been closed for a number of years are often assumed to have very limited landfill gas potential. However, a small amount of gas can be just enough of a seed to sprout a community center that can continue to thrive years after the landfill gas output has declined. When the right initiative is implemented correctly, it may be surprising what can be accomplished with a small amount of resources.
Photos courtesy of Altamont Environmental.
When a diverse combination of community partners unite around common causes, it can surprise even the most skeptical for what is possible. Altamont Environmental, Inc., based in Asheville, NC, has provided technical expertise and proved to be a vital partner in turning ideas into reality on a number of successful landfill reuse projects. This article highlights two small-scale landfill reuse case studies and the commonalities that made them work. The first is a 12-year-old landfill-gas-to-energy project that supports a horticulture and artisan community. The second is a regional livestock center built on a closed industrial landfill. Following are the common keys to implementing these successful reuse projects.
Packed house viewing the cattle auction at the WNC Regional Livestock Center.It is common for community members to outnumber the livestock producers in the stands.
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View of WNC Regional Livestock Center with the closed industrial landfill in the background.
View of WNC Regional Livestock Center from Interstate 40 with the closed industrial landfill to the right.
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Upgrades to the existing landfill gas flare being conducted at the EnergyXchange in 2011.
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Western North Carolina is home to approximately 3,000 livestock producers, who prior to March 2011 did not have a
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Site Potential
Owners of small-scale closed landfills and community leaders wishing to find sites for community development projects should take a new look at the potential these overlooked sites can provide. Assembling a team of qualified engineers and community organizations could result in a project that has tremendous benefit for years to come. | WA Paul Dow, P.E. works for Altamont Environmental, Inc. in Asheville, NC. He specializes in solid waste and water resources engineering. Paul can be reached at (828) 281-3350, e-mail pdow@altamontenvironmental.com or visit www. altamontenvironmental.com.
2012 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.
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