Digging into Landfills 101

In the latest episode of our NothingWasted! Podcast, we chat with Steve Menoff, senior vice president of Civil & Environmental Consultants, an engineering and environmental consulting firm with 24 offices nationwide. We spoke with him about all things landfills, including Subtitle D, the environmental track record of today’s landfills, innovation in the space and more.

Here’s a sneak peek into the discussion:

Waste360: Can you share how landfills fit into the larger solid waste hierarchy?

Steve Menoff: Landfills have always played a prominent role in the cycle of waste management. They have gotten a bad reputation in recent years because they’re not part of the environmental agenda—but they still play a major role. As we move forward, we see a lot of new technologies that can process waste—like one that can turn waste into jet fuel, which is exciting. But I still think there’s always going to be a role for landfills. Disposal sites will still be needed.

Waste360: Can you tell us what goes into the development of a landfill today?

Steve Menoff: In this day and age, no one wants a landfill near them. Sighting a greenfield landfill or an expansion to an existing landfill is difficult. There’s a public process—a political process—that comes first in most states. But you need to develop your entire project and go through the public meetings and meet with regulators; you have to look at how it will impact the community. There are also a lot of technological parameters. Once you get through those hoops, it’s still a lengthy process. We typically see it taking somewhere between five to 10 years to get these types of projects completed.

Waste360: Are we running out of land, and what solutions are helping?

Steve Menoff: We’re not running out of land; we’re running out of political acceptance. We have a lot of capacity still in this country.

Listen to the full interview with Menoff here. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear his smart insights on leachate, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), safety considerations and regulations and more!