United States Solid Waste and EPA530-F-00-023
Environmental Protection Emergency Response April 2000
Agency (5305W) http://www.epa.gov
Office of Solid Waste
f/EPA Environmental
EPA Requests Information on Bioreactor
Landfills and Performance of Alternative
Liners for Landfills When Leachate is
Recirculated
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering revisions to the
Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (40 CFR Part 258) with respect to the use
of alternative liners when landfill leachate is recirculated and with respect to allowing
the operation of landfills as more advanced bioreactors. In order to proceed with any
revisions, EPA must obtain more information on these types of landfill processes.
Background
Under authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, EPA issued
revised Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (40 CFR Part 258; 56 FR 50978)
on October 9, 1991. These criteria establish minimum national performance
standards necessary to ensure that "no reasonable probability of adverse effects on
health or the environment" will result from solid waste disposal facilities. MSWLFs
typically receive household waste, non-hazardous commercial, institutional and
industrial waste, household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small
quantity generator (CESQG) hazardous waste.
Action
EPA is requesting comments and information on two issues related to the Criteria
for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. First, we need data and information on the
performance of alternative liner designs compared to the performance of composite
liners when leachate is recirculated. Provisions in the municipal solid waste landfill
(MSWLF) criteria prohibit leachate recirculation at an MSWLF unless the unit has a
composite liner as described in these regulations. Recently, various stakeholder
groups (e.g., States, local governments, solid waste associations, and industry) have
suggested that there are alternative liner designs that would work as well as, if not
better than, the specific liner designs currently required by the criteria.
Second, EPA is also requesting data and information on the design and
performance of bioreactor landfills. In recent years, bioreactor landfills have gained
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recognition as a possible innovation in solid waste management. The bioreactor
landfill is generally defined as a landfill operated to transform and more quickly
stabilize the readily and moderately decomposable organic constituents of the waste
stream by purposeful control to enhance microbiological processes. Bioreactor
landfills often employ liquid addition including leachate recirculation, alternative
cover designs, and state-of-the-art landfill gas collection systems.
Respondents must send an original and two copies to the RCRA information
Center (RIG), Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA, HQ), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460. Responses may
also be submitted electronically to rcra-docket@ epa.gov. All comments must be
identified by the docket number F-2000-ALPA-FFFFF. Electronic responses must be
submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of
encryption.
For More Information
This Federal Register notice and this fact sheet are available in electronic format
on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-
hw/muncpl/landfill/leachate.htm. For additional information or to order paper copies
of any documents, call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at (800) 424-9346 (toll free) or
(703) 412-9810 in the Washington, B.C. metropolitan area. The RCRA/Superfund
Hotline operates weekdays (except federal holidays) from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Send
written requests to the RIG at the above addresses.
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