County Of Orange - Integrated Waste Management

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Landfill Information

Landfill vs. Dump

In days gone by, communities hauled trash to the "old town dump", buried it in a hole in the ground, covered it up, and forgot about it. Now local governments must design, operate, monitor, and close sanitary landfills in accordance with stringent and very costly federal and state regulations. These regulations require the Integrated Waste Management Department to control landfill gas, protect ground and surface water from contamination, prevent hazardous waste from entering the landfills, and assure that any hazardous waste that is discovered on site is properly handled, stored, and disposed of at a permitted facility designed to accept hazardous materials.

Daily Routine

Each day waste is delivered to the landfill in a variety of vehicles. At the landfill, trucks are directed to designated unloading areas where the waste is dumped, checked for hazardous or other unacceptable material, and pushed into place by bulldozers. The waste is then compacted and covered by an approved cover material (soil, foam, tarps or greenwaste). One day's worth of waste is called a cell .These cells are developed next to each other ultimately forming a lift or layer of trash. These lifts have been planned for in each landfill's master development plan. Lifts are constructed until a final elevation is reached which is the time the landfill stops receiving trash and closes.

Illustration of a bulldozer in a landfill

When A Landfill Becomes Full

After the landfill closes, the site is capped and continues to be monitored for landfill gas and groundwater for a minimum of 30 years. During that time, the landfill site can be developed into a golf course, park or open space.

OC Landfills • Anatomy of a Landfill • Acceptable Waste • Gate Fees • Fee Exemptions
Landfill Regulations • Future of Solid Waste Disposal



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