IMPLEMENTATION FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE ENLARGEMENT OF
CLOSED SYSTEM DISPOSAL FACILITIES IN JAPANFumiyoshi Ohno1, Masataka Hanashima 2, Toru Furuichi 3
1 Research Committee for Closed System Disposal Facilities,Tokyo, Japan(SHIMIZU Corp., Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8007, Japan)
2 Research Committee for Closed System Disposal Facilities,Tokyo, Japan Chairperson(Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0074, Japan)
3 Research Committee for Closed System Disposal Facilities,Tokyo, Japan Vicechairperson(Hokkaido Univ., Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan)

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the results of a research by the working group on facilities enlargement of the ResearchCommittee for Closed System Disposal Facilities conducted concerning the plans to enlarge urban Closed System
Disposal Facilities（CSDFs）.
Study themes concerning the enlargement of CSDF
-Plans to horizontally increase the size of CSDF to 200,000 m3-Plans to vertically increase the size of CSDF to 500,000 m3-Plans to built large CSDF in urban areas
Keywords: Closed system disposal facilities, enlargement, large CSDF in urban areas

50CSDFs have been or are being constructed as of

INTRODUCTION
Closed system disposal facilities （ CSDFs ）are

March 2008. The landfill capacity ranges fromcomposed of a landfill and covering. Installing theapproximately 2,000 m3 to 200,000 m3.

disposal facility under covering enables the artificial

Based on this 50CSDFs, the percentage of small

control of the internal space, and helps reduce thelandfills with the capacity of less than 10,000m3

environmental loads of the waste.

accounts for the majority of 51% , while that of large

The first CSDF was completed at the municipal solid

facilities 10,000m3 to 50,000m3 is 37%, more thanwaste (MSW) landfill site in Yamagata Village in

50,0000m3 is 12%. The largest CSDF in capacity is

Nagano Prefecture in March 1998. Approximately

195,000m3.

Proceedings of APLAS Sapporo 2008
The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, October 22 – 24, 2008

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium
EXAMPLES OF CONSTRUCTION OF

bottom.

LARGE CS DISPOSAL FACILITIES-A straight and sloping (gradient: 12%) waste transport●Kamo Environmental Centerroute was selected to enable waste transport by heavy-Location:Higasihiroshima City, Hiroshima, Japan2

vehicles direct to the bottom of the landfill and to-Landfill area: Approximately 12,000 m

provide paths for oiling and maintaining the-Landfill capacity: Approximately 195,000 m3

machinery.

-Landfill structure: Reinforced concrete 4pits-A retaining wall with a slope gradient of 1:0.5 waswith a covering using membrane

adopted for the landfill.
-The covering span was set at 80 m to enable efficientconstruction. The area of the landfill was determinedbased on the volume of waste. The top and bottom
surfaces of the landfill were both rectangular withdimensions 240 m x 70 m and 219 m x 49 m,
respectively.

Photo.1 exterior and interior●Dai2 Ichiyama MSW disposal facilitiy-Location: Katori City, Chiba, Japan-Landfill area: Approximately 9,120 m2-Landfill capacity: Approximately 90,100 m3-Landfill structure: Reinforced concrete 6pits
with a covering using membrane

Photo.2 exterior and interior

Figure.1 Image of a horizontally enlarged CSDF

INCREASING HORIZONTAL SIZE

Requirements for horizontal increase size of CSDFs

Defining the structural dimensions

1)Requirements related to storage

3

Studies were made on 200,000 m -class CSDFs under-Prevention of surface stormwater infiltration throughthe following conditions.

the geomembrane of the storage facility, and quick-The depth of the landfill yard was set at 15 m because

drainage of groundwater and leachatepreventing-Uplift control measures in the case where excavation

the

earth

retaining

structuresfrombecoming excessively large was necessary andis involved

because landfill operators were expected to work at the-Structural stability where the covering is founded on

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium
the crest of the storage(ii) Without intermediate supports-Selection of earth retaining systems-Without intermediate supports, the covering is madeEarth retaining structures are frequently constructed atof string beams composed of trusses and tie beams.

CSDFs to secure required landfill capacity. Figure 2-The covering is arched with its center projecting.

shows typical types of earth retaining structures. Other

Without intermediate supports, the weight of beam

earth retaining systems include structures on a slope,material increases considerably, but the option isreinforced concrete sidewalls, steel plate liners andbeneficial with respect to the connection with liners

lightweight fills.

and the efficiency of landfill operation.
3) Requirements related to landfill liners

Geotextile
retainingwall

Concrete pit

Terre
Armee
retaining wall

Cementstabilized soil

The structure of landfill liners varies according to thestructure of the landfill. Double liners are usedaccording to official standards in Japan. Reinforced
concrete liner layers require crack control measures.
For upright walls, the material of geomembrane andfixing methods need to be assessed.

Figure.2 Typical earth retaining systems

4) Requirements related to facilities
The requirements of facilities at large CSDFs are listed

2)Requirements related to covering

below.

Decision should be needed on whether or not to install-Securing paths for inspection for maintaining theintermediate supports for large-span covering.

inside of the covering and the landfill-Securing sufficient illumination for a wide and deep
landfill-Installing lighting equipment on the covering at agreat height

Figure.3 Case with/ without inter mediate supports-Attaching spotlights to heavy landfill machinery or(i) With intermediate supports

other equipment-Installing intermediate supports enables substantial-Controlling the reduction of lighting efficiency due toreduction of cross section of steel constituting theintermediate supports

covering. High supports, however, need measures to-Applying artificial ventilation that is required in a

prevent buckling. The design of the support should be

wide area

structured to guarantee safe and efficient landfill-Applying ventilation at the bottom that is required

operation, and to take into account the relation to

because certain types of toxic gas are heavier than air

liners.

-Applying auxiliary ventilation to the landfill surface-A continuous wall composed of intermediate supports

using mobile air blowers or other equipment

provides space for storing sorted waste on both sides-Installing facilities for detecting gases before landfillof the wall.

operation starts

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium-Installing exhaust air outlets to minimize impact on

waste direct from the transport vehicles.

the-Radius of construction site: 45 to 70 m

surrounding

environment(determining

thepositions of outlets and selecting the deodorizing-Depth of the landfill site: 30 to 80 m

method)-Sprinkling water from the ceiling or walls to coverwide space-Installing

mobilesprinklingsystems

includingsprinkler vehicles-Placing fire extinguishers-Providing escape routes5) Requirements related to landfill operation-Checking the site before manned landfill operation
starts (checking the existence of toxic gases or lack ofoxygen)-Securing the safe width of sloping waste transportroutes, and installing fences for preventing vehicles

Figure.4 Image of a vertically enlarged CSDF

from falling-Installing ventilation systems and escape routes formanned operation-Preventing damage to landfill liners or structures by
the crash of heavy machinery where there are columns
or partition walls in the landfill-Securing sufficient illumination and controlling the
spread of dust particles during landfill operation.

Requirements for vertical increase size CSDFs
General requirements for increasing the vertical size oflandfill sites are listed below.
(i) Operation environment for deep landfill-Lighting systems for deep landfill-Air convection and ventilation in the facility-Dumping of waste and control of dust (water
sprinklers to control or prevent dust)

INCREASING VERTICAL SIZE
Defining the structural dimensions
The facility is selected based on the experience ofconstruction of large LNG (liquefied natural gas)
underground storage tanks, and to secure a landfill
capacity of 500, 000 m3. In landfill sites of verticallyincreased size, long waste transport routes could
deteriorate the efficiency of landfill operation andreduce the capacity of the landfill site. Waste isdelivered to the landfill using machinery and unmanned
landfill operation is selected rather than dumping the-Fire protection facilities-Pumping of leachate and groundwater-Safety of landfill operation and efficiency of landfill
operation control (solutions to problems involved inunmanned operation)(ii)

Impactoflarge

facilities

onsurrounding

environment-Change in traffic condition in the vicinity of the site
due to waste transport vehicles-Impact of deep facilities on surrounding ground-Impact of large covering on urban environment, andaesthetic measures for the landfill site

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium(iii) Prevention of the spread of pollution to-Single liners for the parts not in contact with water

surrounding environment-Double liners in the parts in contact with water that-Control of the spread of groundwater pollution

are similar to the works at the bottom-Structure of monitoring facilities-Making the sidewall of the storage impermeable(iv) Thickening of landfill and stabilization of waste-Methods for applying and fixing liner-Aeration devices and gas removal facilities

b. Liners at the bottom-Landfill using cleansed waste, or underwater waste-Double liners composed of highly watertight concrete

disposaland liner material in the case where the storage is-Promotion of waste stabilization and auxiliary

made impermeable

material

facilities-Double liners composed of watertight asphalt and liner(1) Liner requirements for the storage at the landfill site

geomembrane in the case where the storage is not

Deep landfill sites are made of either reinforced

impermeable.

concrete or prestressed concrete. Concrete structures(2) Requirements for facilities

are generally subjected to the deterioration of-Passageways: Passageways are required for covering

impermeability due to cracking or other causes.

the landfill, applying impermeability and inspecting

The following measures should therefore be considered.

machinery. Elevators or other lifting equipment should-Modifying

be installed for long-distance travel down to thethestorage

so

as

to

enhanceimpermeability

bottom.

Placing structural joints or designing joints to induce-Lighting facilities to illuminate deep areas: General orcracking

local lighting should be selected to provide sufficient-Enhancing impermeability by using more effective

illumination to ensure safety and lighting efficiency.

material for the storage-Ventilation systems: Mechanical rather than natural

Increasing

theperformanceof

concreteusing

increased size. Air blowers and exhaust fans are used.

admixtures or additives, and mixing fibers-Taking

auxiliary

measurestoenhanceventilation is adopted for the landfill site of verticallythe

Efficient methods including the combination of local

impermeability of the storage

and general ventilation systems are selected according

Preventing cracking by surface coating

to the phase of landfill operation and work

The liners that are required according to technicalenvironment.

standards should be assessed as an integral part of the-Water sprinklers: Sprinkling water from walls or using

storage. In order to provide required impermeability,

heavy equipment is considered more effective thandouble and single liners are selected at the bottom andsprinkling from the covering (roofing) because thein the parts of the sidewall that are in contact with water,

verticallyand for the parts of the sidewall not in contact with

Water sprinklers are installed mainly for promoting thewater, respectively. The requirements for liners arebiodegradation of waste and preventing the spread oflisted below.

dust particles.

a. Liners on the sidewall-Fire extinguishing systems: Fire alarms, fire hydrants

enlarged landfill site has a great depth.

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposiumand fire extinguishers should be placed to control

liners at the bottom or on the sidewall, or cause dust

on-site fire expected to be induced by inflammableproblems or odors because the waste drifts in the air forgases emitted from the waste, by machinery or by firea long time. It is therefore necessary to sprinkle water

for heating. In large space in particular, deluge guns

before dumping the waste.

are(ii) Waste spreading and roller compaction methods

consideredmoreeffectivethansprinklers.

Appropriate automatic fire control systems should be

To achieve unmanned automatic spreading and roller

selected.

compaction of waste, heavy machinery needs to be-Escape routes: Escape staircase is not effective forremote-controlled

quick escape because the vertical escape distance iscommunications, and the liners at the bottom and on the

expected to exceed 100 m. Safe and reliable escapesidewall should be protected from damage by installingroutes should be provided by installing elevators or

television cameras and sensors of the vehicular gap.

using

on-siteradioactive

other devices while minimizing impact on the liners.
-Gas detectors (facilities for monitoring indoor

LARGE COVERING

environment): The health and safety of workers should

Requirements for covering

be ensured because they work in a closed space at theLarge sheds are required to have the following quality

covered landfill site. Equipment is selected for

and functions. These requirements should be satisfied.

monitoring the internal environment according to the(1) Covering: The span should be determined according

measurement

Automatic

to the landfill capacity. The cover should be of a shapemonitoring systems should preferably be adopted forsuitable at the site. An effective size of the shed should

the wide space at a great depth. Use of a centralized

be determined by specifying optimal depth andmonitoring system using various sensors should be

horizontal size of the storage.

considered.

(2) Safety against natural forces: Strength specified in

items

and

frequency.

the building standard law of Japan, standards of theArchitectural Institute of Japan and other standards
should be provided against earthquakes, snow andwind.
(3) Consideration of surrounding environment: The
release of gases, odors and vapor from the landfill site
Figure.5 Delivering waste on a belt conveyor

should be controlled. Treatment of stormwater should
be ensured. Noise during operation should be insulated.

(3) Landfill operation(4) Consideration of internal working environment:(i) Waste delivery system

Ventilation, daylight and internal temperature should be

Belt conveyors are considered effective for delivering

controlled to provide effective working environment.

waste to large landfill sites in view of the efficiency of(5) Fire safety: It should be noted that fire safety anddelivery, and operation and maintenance. Dumping

fire resistance requirements for the shed specified inwaste from above the facility is likely to damage thestandards vary according to the type of waste acceptedAPLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium(e.g. incombustible, inflammable or slow-burning

remote mountainous or waterfront areas in Japan. Suchmaterial).

sites have been installed and maintained nearly(6) Durability: Resistance to chemicals, weather, heat

unnoticed. Concern about the waste, structure of MSW

and water or moisture should be provided. Chemical

landfill sites and landfill control methods has induced

durability is especially important. The service life

protest campaigns in many cases and finally resulted inshould be determined according to the duration of

the failure to obtain residents' consensus.

landfill operation (the period in which the landfill site is

In studying the enlargement of CSDFs, the conditions

in service).

and requirements for locating the facilities in urban(7) Ease of construction: Methods should be selectedareas using the benefits of closed systems, were

providing for simple erection and dismantling of theidentified to assess the possibility of construction.

shed. The erection method in particular should be

Urban areas here refer to big cities of a population of

selected according to the size and shape of the shed.

300,000 to 800,000.

(8) Use at the same site: The possibility of removal or

Conditions for locating a CSDF in an urban area

repetitive use of the shed should be considered. If the(i) Acquisition of land with required horizontal andshed is to be used for other purposes after the closure ofvertical dimensions where a large-capacity MSW

the landfill site, the size and specifications should be

landfill site can be built

determined according to the expected use.

(ii) Transportation convenience(9) Economy: Both initial and running costs should be(iii) Conservation of surrounding environment andreduced. Repetitive use of a mobile shed is likely toharmony with the life of local community

require high initial cost and low running cost. Decision
should be made based on the total balance of cost.

Requirements for urban facilities(10) Design: The shape, material and color of the shed(1) Structure

should match the surrounding environment.

Large-capacity urban MSW landfill sites should beconstructed where construction is allowable andStructure of covering

designed to have an appropriate structure. Table 1 lists

When selecting the structure of the shed at a CSDF, thethe types of land where MSW landfill sites can bespan, shape, strength, ease of construction and economy

constructed.

should be taken into account.

(2) Traffic condition
Constructing a MSW landfill site results in the increase

URBAN SITE

of vehicles for transporting waste. Problems occur in

Location

the vicinity of the site such as traffic congestion, noise

Urban areas with numerous residents and a large

and auto emissions. A large facility in an urban area is

daytime population inevitably produce large quantities

likely to attract vehicles. Control measures are thereforeof waste to be disposed of. MSW landfill sites are

required.

therefore likely to be large.

Most of the waste is delivered to the landfill site after it

MSW landfill sites have frequently been located inis subjected to intermediate processing. Constructing

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium
MSW landfill sites as close to intermediate processing
plants as possible is considered beneficial with all
respects.
(3) Environmental conservation and relation with local
community
Obtaining the consensus of local residents on theconstruction of the landfill site is important. Selectionof the location as well as of the functions and structure

Fig.7 At an interchange1)of the site is the key.
The landfill site needs to improve the living
environment. Measures should be taken to have the site
make social contributions at the minimum.
(4) Structural type
Closed system disposal facilities consist of a landfill
equipped with covering. They come in three types:
underground type with an underground landfill
covered with a man-made slab, semi-undergroundFig.8 Landfill site doubling
as a park or green space1)

type of an underground landfill covered with roofingor an underground landfill with a man-made slab,

CLOSING REMARK AND FUTURE TASKS

and ground type with a building on the surface.

As a result of the study on horizontally enlarged

F i g u r e 6 s h o w s d i ff e r e n t s t r u c t u r a l t y p e s .

200,000m3-classCSDFs and vertically enlarged deepand large 500,000m3class CSDFs, issues involved inenlarging disposal facilities and locating them in urban
area were discussed. The challenges facing typicalhorizontally enlarged CSDFs include the design of1)
Undergroundtype2)
Semi-underground
type

3)
Groundtype

Fig.6 Structural types of CSDFs

economical covering, guarantee of safe landfill
operation and provision of appropriate working
environment based on manned operation (e.g.
ventilation and availability of escape routes). For(5) Image of facility

vertically enlarged CSDFs, storage and liner structures,

Figures 7 and 8 show images of large urban CSDFs ofand unmanned landfill equipment and methods suitable

varying structures built on varying types of land.

for deep facilities are required. When locating a CSDF
in an urban area, complying with the laws concerning
the construction at the location is a great challenge.

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium

Type of land

Table 1 Types of land where MSW landfill site can be built
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Land acquisition
Transportation
Conservation of
conveniencesurrounding
environment

Interchange

Need to confirm urban
planning regulations.
Complicated sharingof management
responsibility.

Industrial
complex

Need to confirm urban
planning regulations.

Cargo
terminal

Need to confirm urban
planning regulations.
Space under the
existing facility isdeveloped.

Formerfactory site

Land acquisition isGenerally, easy accesseasy.
is provided.
Need to confirm urban
planning regulations.
Land is acquired on
condition of advanceuse of the landfill site.
Need to confirm urban
planning regulations.

Park orplaying field
Afforestation,
environmental
conservation
or disasterprevention
areas

Former site of Land is acquired on
governmental condition of advanceofficeuse of the landfill site.
Land acquisition iseasy (or unnecessary).
Need to confirm urban
Intermediate
planning regulations.
waste
processing
site

Waterfront
landfill

Land
easy.

acquisition

Easy access isprovided. Care should
be exercised to prevent
traffic congestion.

Comment

Care should be
exercised to preventthe deterioration ofdriver visibility andadverse impact onaesthetics.
No problem.

Complicated sharingof management
responsibility makes
thorough consultationnecessary.

No problem.
Harmony withsurrounding areas isespecially importantbecause of thecloseness of the site toresidential areas.
Harmony withsurrounding areas isespecially importantbecause the generalpublic visit the site,which is relatively
close to residential
areas.

Suitable.

The land is suitable fora landfill although thescale may be limited
depending on the planand operation of theindustrial complex.
Need to verify the Not feasible in view ofimpact of underground the structure anddevelopment.
construction method
required. (Largeamount of cost isrequired.)Easy access isprovided. Care should
be exercised to prevent
traffic congestion.
Easy
accessprovided.

Suitable only when theexisting facilities arerenovated or new
facilities areconstructed.

Suitable only when theexisting facilities arerenovated or new
facilities areconstructed.

is Environmental loads
can be reduced bydelivering the waste on
belt conveyors insteadof dumping the waste
direct from transport
vehicles.

is Easy
accessis No problem.
provided. Care should
be exercised to prevent
traffic congestion.

Suitable.

APLAS Sapporo 2008, The 5th Asian-Pacific Landfill Symposium
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This paper is a result of research conducted at Enlarged
CSDF Working, Planning and Design Study Group,
Research Committee for Closed System Disposal
Facilities.
The following members participated in the research.
Fumiyoshi Ohno/Shimizu Corporation ,Masami Fujita/Kankyogiken Consultants Co.,Ltd.
Isamu Norimatsu/Hazama Corporation,
Nobuo Yasuda/Taisei Corporation
Toshiro Komoda/Kajima Corporation,
Yuji Higashiura/Kensetukougakukenkyuusya Co.,Ltd
Akihiko Oyakawa/Taiyo Kogyo Corporation,
Sunao Ogino/Toa Corporation
Shuntaro Asano/Tobishima Corporation,
Takaya Kato/Waste Management Consultant
REFERENCE
１）：Research Committee for Closed System Disposal
Facilities: Introduction to closed system disposal
facilities - plan and case studies for covered MSW
landfill sites