Experiment to retain leachate within a landfill by increasing the field capacity

摘要

A landfill situated in Cape Town, South Africa produces a very small annual leachate flow. The landfill does not have an underlines and the leachate escapes into the groundwater, which is saline. The regulatory authorities are insisting that the landfill be capped and closed. The paper describes the preliminary stages of an experiment designed to stop the leachate flow entirely, by raising the landfill and thus increasing its moisture storage capacity. If successful, it is predicted that continuing operation of the landfill will be allowed.