Slurry Wall
A slurry wall was created around both landfills (Phase I & II) to prevent groundwater from reaching them. The wall was made by pouring a thick mixture of bentonite clay and water into a trench. The clay hardened into a concrete like substance that diverts water around the landfills.
Leachate Well
Leachate (pronounced leech-ate) is the name given to all the liquids inside the landfill. These liquids could be as harmless as water or juice or as harmful as toilet bowl cleaner and bleach. All of these liquids collect at the bottom and are then pumped to the waste water treatment plant.
Layers of the Landfill
Landfills are made with layers of clay, plastic and sand to seal off the bottom and top. That means that water, air, and light are stopped from entering. This makes decomposition (breaking down of organic material) slow down a lot.
Compost Kid Exploring
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I'm looking through a microscope to see the landfill microbes (tiny living things) such as fungi and bacteria. Microbes use organic (or biodegradable) materials for food, such as paper, leaves and kitchen scraps. |
Bottle Rocketeer Exploring
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I'm holding a "juice pouch" made of thin plastic. It is not recyclable or biodegradable, but it does not take up much space in landfill once it is thrown away. |
Pulpster Exploring
I'm able to read an old newspaper that was buried in the landfill in 1988 and was dug up years later when people uncovered part of the landfill to work on the landfill gas-to-energy project.
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Juggernaut Exploring
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Why do you think I'm amazed at finding these objects in the City's landfill? What else can you do with a glass bottle instead of throwing it out? I hope you suggested recycling! Recycling saves landfill space and also conserves resources and energy. And what about this full aerosol can of bug spray?
Toxic materials don't belong in a landfill! They should be used up or taken to the Washtenaw County's Home Toxics Center (971-7356) for disposal in a hazardous waste landfill. |
Landfill Gas Collection
Landfill Gas to Energy |
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The food scraps (like the leftover broccoli you threw in the garbage) that are in the landfill slowly break down. As this occurs gas is produced. This isn't the same stuff your parents get at the gas station but it will burn. Much of this gas is methane, and it rises to the top of the landfill and is collected in underground pipes. The methane is collected and condensed using a blower, then burned and used as fuel to power an engine. The engine powers a generator that produces electricity and that electricity is sold to a power company, in our case Detroit Edison. |