Our ENV180 class recently toured the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill located Irvine, California. We got a behind the scene look and smell of the facility. Aside from being an interesting experience as a student it was reassuring to see how well the landfill is designed and how well it is run under Federal and State regulations. I mentioned smell. It was surprising that there was little or no smell in the area immediately around the landfill, and right up to where trash was being dumped and compacted. This location was small in area, just where the day's activity was occurring. The facility is 725 acres in size with 379 acres specifically used for refuse disposal. The refuse disposal area is either covered with dirt (about 8 feet deep), once the specific area has reached capacity, or Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) which consists of chipped or shredded vegetation for areas that have refuse but are not at capacity, or heavy duty tarps which are spread out and clamped down over top of the current dumping area at the end of the day. These procedures cover the whole refuse disposal area minimizing the odors which are released.
The facility is also designed to prevent liquids from leaching into the ground water and from methane gas being release into the atmosphere. I'll put an illustration of these systems in here instead of technical details.
Again it was reassuring to learn how well designed the landfill was designed to both meet the needs of refuse disposal in Orange County and protect the surrounding environment.
The Frank R. Bowerman Landfill is the 9th largest landfill. It opened in 1990 and is planned to close in 2053. The landfill takes in about 8500 tons of refuse daily. It is the site for the world’s first commercial landfill gas (methane) to liquid natural gas (LNG) project. Here is the URL for the landfills website.
Then click on: 'Frank R. Bowerman Landfill'
Our class was also fortunate to have Christine Knapp, Manager of Recycling Programs in Orange County, speak to us about the landfill, refuse disposal county wide, and recycling in Orange County. Christine gave us an extremely informative presentation, elevating our interest to see first hand the landfill facility, and minimizing the impact of the olfactory part of our experience. As they apparently say in the refuse disposal business, " Smell that? That's the smell of money."
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