Leeton Landfill and Recycling Centre

A landfill (sometimes referred to as a dump or tip) is a site where waste is disposed of.

Landfills are divided into ‘cells’, and these cells are where waste materials are deposited, compacted and buried. It is important to remember that all materials sent to a landfill, regardless of whether they are recyclable or not, go to waste.

Landfills are not designed to break down waste, they only store it. Although the waste materials will eventually decompose, it is extremely slow.  Some materials can take hundred or even thousands of years to breakdown. The decomposition of organic material such as food waste in a landfill, contributes to the generation of methane; a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. 

Sending potentially recoverable waste to a landfill not only results in the loss of valuable resources, it also generates a number of environmental impacts.

In order to create a landfill, an area must be cleared in preparation. Land clearing, can result in habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation – the damaging effects of which, lead to a loss of biodiversity.

When organic material such as food waste is buried in landfill, it breaks down anaerobically (without the presence of oxygen) and in doing so, releases harmful greenhouse gases including large quantities of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 24 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Another pollutant known as ‘leachate’, is a highly toxic liquid that accumulates at the bottom of landfills. Modern day landfills have a number of technologies in place to capture and treat leachate to prevent it from escaping and damaging the local environment.

It should be noted however, that although the process of landfilling waste is not optimal, it is the only viable method of disposing of waste materials that cannot currently be recycled or reprocessed.

Waste minimisation and diversion (via your yellow-lid recycling bin or other waste recovery and recycling options such as composting), where possible, is the most effective way to reduce the amount of waste destined for landfill. By reducing our waste generation rate, we extend the life of landfills, decrease the demand for new disposal sites, preserve land and reduce our overall environmental impact.

Council undertakes regular and stringent pollution and groundwater monitoring at its landfill sites as required under the Environmental Protection Licences issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Landfills are divided into ‘cells’, and these cells are where waste is compacted and buried. One landfill will have multiple cells for disposing of waste.

When a landfill cell reaches capacity, it is ‘capped’. Capping a cell creates a barrier between the surface and the layers of waste buried below, which helps to prevent rainwater infiltration. Soil and compacted clay are commonly used to create the cap layer on a completed landfill cell. Capped landfills can be turned into recreation grounds or sporting field, as examples.