Page 323 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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294 Waste Management Practices: Municipal, Hazardous, and Industrial
Operators of landfills should be prepared to handle hazardous wastes that are inadvertently
received at the facility. This may include having 55 gal drums available and keeping a list of the
nearest companies licensed to transport hazardous waste. Hazardous waste may be stored at the
landfill for 90 days, provided that the following procedures are followed (40 CFR Section 262.34):
● The waste is stored in tanks or containers. Both terms are defined in the federal regulations.
● The date of receipt of the waste is noted on each container
● The container is marked with the words ‘Hazardous Waste’
● An employee is designated for coordinating any emergency response measures
If the landfill facility transports the wastes off-site, it must comply with 40 CFR Part 262 or the
analogous state requirements, which include:

● Obtain an EPA identification number (the landfill is now a ‘generator of hazardous waste’)
● Package the waste as per Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations (49 CFR Parts
173, 178, and 179)
● Manifest the waste designating a permitted facility to treat, store, or dispose of the waste

If the landfill decides to treat, store (for more than 90 days), or dispose of the hazardous waste
on-site, they are legally defined as a hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility, and
must comply with state or federal requirements for such facilities. This typically requires a permit.
The major requirements for generators, transporters, and TSD facilities are discussed in greater
detail in Chapters 12 through 17.
PCB wastes detected at a landfill must be stored and disposed according to 40 CFR Part 761.
The operator is required to:

● Obtain an EPA PCB identification number
● Properly store the waste
● Mark containers with the words ‘Caution: Contains PCBs’
● Manifest the waste for shipment to a permitted incinerator, chemical waste landfill, or
high-efficiency boiler for disposal
Clearly, it is to the facility’s advantage to detect and remove any potential hazardous waste
before it ever enters the tipping floor. Preventing the entry of these wastes may be accomplished
through other methods. For example, facilities may receive only household wastes and processed
(shredded or baled) wastes that are adequately screened for the excluded wastes.

10.4.3 TRAINING
Landfill operators must ensure that personnel are trained to identify hazardous and PCB wastes. The
training program should emphasize methods to identify containers and labels typical of hazardous
and PCB wastes. Training also should address hazardous waste handling procedures, safety pre-
cautions, and record keeping. Again, OSHA regulations as detailed in 29 CFR 1920.120 are
extremely useful in providing proper protocols for investigations and worker safety.

10.4.4 LANDFILL DESIGN
According to RCRA, the criteria for landfill design apply only to new units and lateral expansions;
existing landfills are not required to retrofit systems such as liners. The criteria provide for two basic
design options. The first design option consists of a composite liner and a leachate collection system.
Landfills in states without EPA-approved programs must use this design. The composite liner system
consists of an upper synthetic geomembrane liner (also known as a flexible membrane liner, FML) and
a lower layer of compacted soil at least 0.61 m (2 ft) thick with a hydraulic conductivity of not greater