Strategy for Landfill Design in Arid Regions

Abstract

The environment and human health of Kuwait, a developing arid country, is in jeopardy due to improper waste disposal management. Hazardous and liquid wastes are frequently commingled with municipal solid waste, which commonly results in environmental degradation. Landfills in Kuwait act as dumping grounds rather than safe disposal sites. Furthermore, the basic tools that assist in the protection of the environment such as a base liner, final cover, and a leachate collection system are not included in these units. In an effort to help Kuwait and developing arid countries build safe landfills for the disposal of the different waste materials; a strategy was adapted to select the best landfill protection tools that are environmentally acceptable and cost effective. The strategy included landfill classification, lab and field tests on natural soils to determine their applicability as liner and cover systems, and finally examining the effectiveness of the design models for the primary tools using Pollutev6 computer program. To examine the effectiveness of the previous strategy items, the strategy was implemented based on the State of Kuwait environment and wastes generation data. The results showed that native cemented calcareous sands (gatch) when compacted could be used as liner and cover systems in Kuwait. Moreover, high-density polyethylene liners are not recommended in this arid region and a leachate collection system is needed due to improper dumping. Overall, the results showed that this strategy is practical and efficient to introduce the minimum requirements for environmentally acceptable landfill sites in such countries.