Closing Open Dumpsites: Protecting Health and the Environment

Open dumpsites have a devastating impact on the environment and public health. Waste Management World spoke to James Law, Chair of the ISWA Landfill Working Group and the Task Force on Closing Dumpsites Initiative, about the key steps and economics of closing dumpsites, the climate benefits and the pros and cons of biomining.

Of the approximately 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste generated globally each year roughly 40 per cent ends up in open dumpsites, particularly in cities in middle and lower-income countries lacking proper waste collection systems, according to the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP. In many African cities up to 90 per cent of waste is openly dumped. In the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, it's about 45 per cent.

While open dumping sure is a cost-effective waste management option, it is also hazardous to both the environment and public health. Emissions such as dioxins and furans, as well as hazardous substances like mercury, contribute to air, water and soil pollution.

The surrounding communities and especially waste pickers working on those sites are therefore at constant risk of inhaling and ingesting toxic substances. Furthermore, there is a threat of diseases spreading due to poor sanitation and the presence of insects and vectors, UNEP states. But simply closing the dumpsites is not enough and also has negative socio-economic effects. Organisations such as UNEP and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) therefore are in favour of an integrated waste management approach. This involves working with a wide range of stakeholders to provide waste collection services, raise awareness of sound waste management, enforce policies and legislation, implement a waste management chain including recycling and environmentally sound final disposal, establish monitoring mechanisms and strengthen administrative and institutional capacity. After all, closing dumpsites makes an essential contribution to reducing greenhouse gases, soil and air pollution

Waste Management World talked with James Law, the Chair of the ISWA Working Group on Landfill and the Task Force on Closing Dumpsites Initiative, about the environmental and public health impacts of open dumpsites, the key steps and profitability of dumpsite closures and the advantages and disadvantages of biomining.

Can you explain the potential environmental and public health risks associated with the operation of an open dumpsite?

Since the operation of a dumpsite does not include the application of daily cover or waste compaction and also it does not have a bottom liner or gas and leachate collection system, the most common risks are groundwater contamination, fire hazards that could generate black carbon fume and toxic gases to impact the air quality and thus affect the public health in the immediate area or areas miles away in downwind direction. The gas emissions from dumpsites have a direct impact on climate change. Then there are odour issues, either from the decomposed waste mass itself or from the leachate seep outbreaks located on the side slopes of a dumpsite. The leachate seeps will impact the surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes nearby in the downstream direction as well as the groundwater below the dumpsite.

Most dumpsites have people or informal waste pickers on them. Therefore they have a direct impact on their health and safety point of view.

Source: Climate Change: Closing Open Dumpsites: Protecting Health and the Environment | WMW (waste-management-world.com)