ABSTRACT
It is not news that many communities in America are faced with a garbage disposal problem. In 1990, Americans generated over 195 million tons of municipal solid waste. In 2006, EPA reported that this number had increased slightly. Since over two-thirds of municipal solid waste is sent to landfills, this chapter will primarily key on landfilling—the solid waste management option that simply will not go away. However, some landfills are closing and the siting of new landfills has become increasingly difficult because of public opposition. Past problems sometimes associated with older landfills might have contributed to this situation. Landfills that were poorly designed, that were located in geologically unsound areas, or that might have accepted toxic materials without proper safeguards have contaminated some groundwater sources. Many communities use groundwater for drinking, and people living where contamination has occurred understandably worry about its threat to their health and the cost of cleaning it up. Communities where new landfills are needed share these concerns. Consequently, at a time when more are needed, there is increasing resistance to building new landfills.
