Circumstances That May Require Landfill Disposal

Excessive Metals

Municipal sludge that contains one or more pollutant metals above the maximum limit determined by the EPA cannot be land applied unless the pollutant concentration is reduced. In a case such as this, landfill disposal may be the only option.

Inadequate Available Storage

A number of wastewater plants do not have available adequate storage capacity for sludge to last during the times of year when land application is limited, or prohibited. During these times of year, it may be necessary to dispose of sludge in a landfill in order to not exceed plant storage capacity.

Excessive Debris

Unfortunately, it isn’t just sludge that flows into a wastewater plant. Though most plants have screens in place that remove much of the trash that they receive, there is a certain amount that remains. Trash and debris often become concentrated at the bottoms of certain tanks, like digesters, and renders the sludge removed from these tanks unsuitable for land application. In these cases, the sludge must be landfilled.