- What is a landfill?
A landfill is a waste management unit at which waste is discharged in or on land for disposal. Modern landfills are well-engineered facilities that are located, designed, and monitored to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
- What is a surface impoundment?
A surface impoundment is a waste management unit for the treatment, storage, or disposal of liquid wastes in ponds
- What is a waste pile?
A waste pile is a waste management unit for the treatment or temporary storage of solid wastes. Only non-containerized, bulk, dry solid waste is discharged to a waste pile.
- What is a facility?
A waste management facility or "facility" is the entire parcel of property at which waste discharge operations are conducted. Such a facility may include one or more waste management units. There are about 800 facilities regulated by the Land Disposal Program
- What is a waste management unit?
A waste management unit (WMU) is an area of land, or a portion of a waste management facility, at which waste is discharged. The term includes containment features and ancillary features for precipitation and drainage control and monitoring. WMUs can contain liquid or solid wastes. They are designed to contain and manage the waste, so various designs are used out of consideration for local soil and water conditions, geologic conditions, and the nature of the waste to be discharged
Compost Operation FAQs
- What is compost?
Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms under controlled aerobic conditions to create a product (e.g., soil amendment or soil blend). Compostable materials comprise a wide range of material types: grass, leaves, branches, prunings, stumps, wood waste, agricultural materials, manure, food, and biosolids. Composting activities typically occur on open and uncovered land, exposed to precipitation. However, some composting activities are performed within structures, protected from precipitation.
- How can processing organic materials impact water quality?
Organic materials may contain nutrients, metals, salts, pathogens, and oxygen-reducing compounds that may have the potential to degrade water quality if allowed to migrate into groundwater or surface water. Composting piles form leachate, a liquid created when certain wastes decompose or as excess moisture flows through the pile. Leachate can potentially deplete oxygen in waterways and may contain unacceptably high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, metals, and other pollutants that could impact waters of the state. Additionally, composting nutrient-rich feedstocks on more permeable soil has the potential to create elevated nitrate concentrations in groundwater
Other Questions
- What are waste discharge requirements?
Waste discharge requirements (WDRs) are regulations pertaining to the treatment, storage, processing, or disposal of solid and liquid wastes. When implemented, they prevent such activities from causing undue harm to the environment
- How can waste impact groundwater quality?
Waste can pose a significant threat to the beneficial uses of groundwater. Left uncontrolled, natural processes will decompose and degrade wastes, moving harmful substances from the waste into groundwater. These substances can, in turn, cause harm to the health of the environment and plant and animal life through contact with or ingestion of contaminated water.
- How can waste impact surface water quality?
Waste can pose a significant threat to the beneficial uses of surface water. Rainwater and riparian systems can become contaminated if contact with waste is left uncontrolled, moving harmful substances from the waste into surface water. These substances can, in turn, cause harm to the health of the environment and plant and animal life through contact with or ingestion of contaminated water.
