Sustainable landfill - Recycling of aged refuse in closed landfill

Landfill is a primary method for the disposal of municipal solid wastes (refuse) in China and other countries in the world. However, landfill is considered environmentally unsound and unsustainable. In this paper, nevertheless, landfill is considered sustainable and an excellent bioreactor for recycling of wastes, as the aged refuse in closed landfill is excavated and mechanical separation so that the fine organic fractions are used as organic fertilizer for green plantation or biological medium for wastewaters treatment while reclaim the chemical textiles and rubber. After the aged refuse is mined and recycled, the excavated space is then used for placement of fresh refuse. In this study, aged refuse excavated from 2 to 10 years old closed landfill compartments in Shanghai Refuse Landfill is characterized in terms of particulate distribution by screening, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, biodegradable matter. The approaches for redevelopment of both land and aged refuse in the stabilized landfills are proposed.