Discarica

Landfills are the oldest form of waste disposal. Today, in many parts of the world, landfill sites are the “last resort” for those waste products that have already undergone treatment to recover the recyclable material and that no longer have a high calorific value. Current EU legislation has established the criteria and procedures for the acceptance of waste in these sites as well as for the closure of illegal dumps. By law, only treated waste can be put into landfills while substances such as inflammable, explosive or corrosive liquids, used tyres and hospital medical waste are not accepted. Whilst we wait for this legislation to be enforced everywhere in Europe, the existing landfills are, however, constantly monitored: there are tanks that have been rendered impermeable to prevent percolate (a liquid that forms as a result of water infiltration and waste decomposition) from seeping into the ground.

There are also systems which collect the gases produced by the decomposition, transforming them into energy. The waste is compacted and covered to guarantee the safety of the surrounding environment. Controlled landfills are very different from the illegal dumps, where the percolate filters into the ground, contaminating aquifers, and the gases are released into the air. In certain cases, they may be used by organised crime gangs to “dispose” of industrial and hazardous waste. Unfortunately, we must also remember that in some countries, there are landfills that are like cities, inhabited by thousands of people who earn a living by sifting through the rubbish…