United States EPA/530 SW-91 092

Environmental Protection March 1993

Agency

Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OS-305)

Safer Disposal

For Solid Waste

The Federal

Regulations for

-Landfills

Printed on paper that contains at least 50 percent recycled fiber.
Regulations for

Landfills

For Solid Waste

The Federal
Owners and

operators must

ensure that each

day’s waste is

covered with soil

to control litter

and diseasebearing vermin.

Past problems sometimes associated with older

landfills might have contributed to this situation.

Landfills that were poorly designed, or were located in

geologically unsound areas, or that might have

accepted toxic materials without proper safeguards,

have contaminated some ground-water sources. Many

communities use ground water for drinking, and

people living where contamination has occurred

understandably worry about its threat to their health

and the cost of cleaning it up. Communities where new

landfills are needed share these concerns.

Consequently, at a time when we need more of them,

there is increasing resistance to building new landfills.
To ease these worries and to make waste management

work better, federal, state, Indian tribal, and local

governments have adopted an integrated approach to

waste management. This approach involves a mix of

three waste management techniques: decreasing the

amount and/or toxicity of waste that must be disposed

of by producing less waste to begin with (source

reduction); increasing recycling of materials such as

paper, glass, steel, plastics, and aluminum, thus

recovering these materials rather than discarding them;

and providing safer disposal capacity by improving the

design and management of incinerators and landfills.

Source reduction and recycling will keep a lot of waste

out of municipal landfills, but we will still need landfills.

(In 1990, 67 percent of municipal solid waste was sent

to landfills.) The challenge is to make them safe in

order to protect our communities and our environment

— and that requires a strong partnership of federal,

state, and tribal governments; industry; and citizens.

The federal regulations described in this booklet are an

important step in the right direction. They greatly

reduce the possibility that landfills will become sources

The federal

regulations set

minimum

requirements for

final cover of

landfills.
Landfills may

not be built

in unstable

areas prone to

landslides,

mudslides, or

sinkholes, such

as the one

shown here.

Specifying safe design and management practices

that will prevent releases of contaminants into

ground water.

Specifying operating practices that will protect

human health.

Protecting future generations by requiring careful

closure procedures, including monitoring of landfill

conditions and the effects of landfills on the

surrounding environment.
Citizen Roles

T

he federal government sets minimum

national standards applicable to municipal

solid waste disposal, but state, tribal, and

local governments are responsible for actually

implementing and enforcing waste programs. States

are required to develop their own programs based

on the federal regulations. EPA is offering the same

opportunity to tribes. EPA’s role is to evaluate

states’ and tribes’ programs and decide if they are

adequate to ensure safe disposal of municipal solid

waste.

States and tribes that apply for and receive EPA

approval of their programs have the opportunity to

provide a lot of flexibility in implementing the

regulations. This added flexibility allows states and

tribes to take local conditions and needs into account,

and can make the costs of municipal solid waste

management more affordable. States and tribes also

may establish requirements that are more stringent

than those set by the federal government.

Private citizens have a role, too. Individuals can

help ensure that adequate landfill capacity exists for

their wastes by supporting the siting and

development of facilities that comply with the

regulations. Individuals can exercise their

responsibility through grassroots activities, such as

participating in public meetings regarding landfill

siting, by taking part in permitting processes, and by

working closely with the responsible state or tribal
the Regulations

Municipal solid waste landfill (MSWLF): A discrete

area of land or an excavation that receives household waste, and

that is not a land application unit, surface impoundment,

injection well, or waste piIe, as those terms are defined in the

law. (Household waste includes any solid waste, including

garbage, trash, and septic tank waste, derived from houses,

apartments, hotels, motels, campgrounds, and picnic grounds.)

An MSWLF unit also may receive other types of wastes as

defined under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act (RCRA), such as commercial solid waste,

nonhazardous sludge, small quantity generator waste, and

industrial solid waste. Such a landfill maybe publicly or

privately owned. An MSWLF unit can be a new unit, an existing

unit, or a lateral expansion (see definitions below).

Existing unit: A municipal solid waste landfill unit that is

receiving solid waste as of October 9, 1993. Waste placement in

existing units must be consistent with past operating practices or

modified practices to ensure good management.

Lateral expansion: A horizontal expansion of the waste

boundaries of an existing unit; does not include expansion in the

vertical dimension.

New unit: Any municipal solid waste landfill unit that has not

received waste prior to October 9, 1993.

Small landfill: A landfill serving a community that disposes

of less than 20 tons of municipal solid waste per day, averaged

yearly.
a landfill must receive less than 20 tons of waste per

day (averaged yearly), receive less than 25 inches of

rainfall per year, and have no other practical waste

disposal alternative. In addition, there must not be any

evidence of ground-water contamination from the

landfill. Extremely remote communities that have no

ready access to other disposal sites for extended periods

of time also are eligible for an exemption. For example,

some remote Alaskan villages may not be able to reach

larger disposal sites during the winter months.

Some small

landfills serving

small communities, such as this

one in the dry,

western United

States, may

qualify for

exemptions

from some of

the regulations’

requirements.
Owners

operators must

set up a system

to ensure that

hazardous

wastes are kept

out of municipal

landfills.

federal requirements do not apply to any landfill that

stopped taking waste before October 9, 1991.

Because of the complex technology needed, the federal

requirement for installing ground-water monitoring

systems is phased in over a period of five years. To

protect drinking water sources, landfills nearest to them

must comply before those that are farther away.

By April 9,1994, landfill owners/operators

also must be able to demonstrate

the ability to pay the costs of

closure, post-closure care, and

cleanup of any known

releases.
Design

Ground-water monitoring and corrective action

Closure and post-closure care

● Financial assurance

The following discussion explains the federal

regulations. However, states and tribes with EPAapproved programs have the opportunity to exercise

flexibility in implementing these regulations. Some of

the exceptions described below are only available in

states and tribes with EPA-approved programs.

Location

Airport Safety

Because landfills can attract birds that can interfere with

aircraft operation, owners/operators of sites near

airports must show that birds are not a danger to

aircraft. This restriction applies to new, existing, and

laterally expanding landfills.

Floodplains

Landfills may not be located in areas that are prone to

flooding unless the owner/operator can prove the

landfill is designed to withstand flooding and prevent

the waste from washing out. This restriction applies to

new, existing, and laterally expanding landfills.

Wetlands

Since wetlands are important ecological resources, new

landfills and laterally expanding ones may not be built

in wetlands unless the landfill is in a state or on tribal

lands with an EPA-approved program and the owner/

operator can show that it will not pollute the area. The
prone to them. This restriction does not apply to

existing landfills.

Location Criteria Summary

Location Applicability* Closure

If Demonstration

Cannot Be Met?

Airport Safety N,E,L Yes

Floodplains N,E,L Yes

Wetlands N,L No

Fault Areas N,L No

Seismic Impact N,L No

Zones

Unstable Areas N,E,L Yes

*(N=New, E=Existing, L=Lateral Expansion)

Unstable Areas

Landfills cannot be located in areas that are subject to

landslides, mudslides, or sinkholes. This restriction

applies to new, existing, and laterally expanding

landfills.

Operation

Keeping Out Hazardous Waste

EPA and the states have developed regulations

specifically covering the disposal of hazardous wastes

in special landfills. Owners/operators of municipal
Controlling Explosive Gases

Methane gas, which occurs naturally at landfills, must

be monitored routinely. If emission levels at the landfill

exceed a certain limit, ‘the proper authorities must be

notified and a plan must be developed to solve the

problem.

Restricting Access

Owners/operators must restrict access to their landfills to

prevent illegal dumping and other unauthorized activities.

Controlling Storm Water and Protecting

Surface Water

So that no pollutants are swept into lakes, rivers, or

streams, landfills must be built with ditches and levees

to keep storm water from flooding their active areas

and to collect and control storm-water run-off.

Restricting Liquids

Landfills cannot accept liquid waste from tank trucks or

in 55-gallon drums. This restriction helps reduce both

the amount of leachate (liquids that have passed

through the landfill) and the concentrations of

contaminants in the leachate.

Controlling Air Emissions

Landfills must be operated so they do not violate

state and federal clean air laws and regulations.

This means, among other things, that the burning of

waste is prohibited at landfills, except under certain

conditions.
Leachate collection

systems, such as the

one shown here, are

designed to collect

any fluids that seep

down through the

landfill. T’he fluids

can be recycled in

the landfill or

treated for disposal

elsewhere.

tances, providing the state or tribal program director

approves the design. This allows owners/operators to

ensure environmental protection at the lowest possible

cost to citizens served by the landfill. This flexibility

means, for example, that the use of a liner, and the

nature and thickness of the liner system, may vary from

state to state, and perhaps from site to site.

Instates and tribal areas without EPA-approved

programs, owners/operators must build their landfills

according to a design developed by EPA, or seek a

waiver. The EPA design lays out specific requirements

for liners and leachate collection systems. Liners must be

composite, that is, a synthetic material over a 2-foot layer

of clay. This system forms a barrier that prevents

leachate from escaping from the landfill into ground

water. The design also requires leachate collection

systems that allow the leachate to be captured and

treated.
requirements to specific local conditions. For example,

they may specify different frequencies for sampling

ground water for contaminants, or phase in the

deadline for complying with the federal ground-water

monitoring requirements.

If the ground water becomes contaminated, owners/

operators in approved states and tribal areas must clean

it up to levels specified by the state or tribal director. In

states and tribes without EPA-approved programs, the

federal regulations specify that contaminants must be

reduced below the federal limits for safe drinking

water.

Closure and Post-Closure Care

When a landfill owner/operator stops accepting waste,

the landfill must be closed in a way that will prevent

problems later. The final cover must be designed to

keep liquid away from the buried waste. For 30 years

after closure, the owner/operator must continue to

maintain the final cover, monitor ground water to

ensure the unit is not leaking, collect and monitor

landfill gas, and perform other maintenance activities.

(States and tribes with approved programs may vary

this period based on local conditions.)

Financial Assurance

To ensure that monies are available to correct possible

environmental problems, landfill owners/operators are

required to show that they have the financial means to
T

he main emphasis of the federal regulations is

to protect ground water and prevent pollution

from inadequately designed and operated

landfills. Landfills are an important part of our nation’s

system for managing garbage, and we all have an

important stake in their safe operation. We encourage

you to learn more about those in your community.

For More Information

T

his pamphlet provides an overview of the

federal regulations. For more information

about specific requirements for solid waste

landfills in your area, contact your state solid waste

agency. If you don’t know how to reach them, call one

of the resources listed at right. The Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hotline

maintains current lists of all state solid and hazardous

waste management officials. While these information

centers are the best place to start collecting information,

it may still be useful to ask these contacts if some other

source may be able to give you additional help. In

addition, you can order a copy of the federal

regulations or the booklet “Criteria for Solid Waste

Disposal Facilities A Guide for Owners/Operators”

(EPA 530/SW-91-089).
EPA RCRA Information Center (Docket)

Maintains and tracks policy and guidance documents; provides

nontechnical assistance and written reference services; develops and

disseminates public information materials.

Hours Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST

Telephone: (202) 260-9327

Address: RCRA Information Center

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

401 M Street, SW. (0S-305)

Washington, DC 20460

Solid Waste Assistance Program

Collects and distributes information on all aspects of municipal solid

waste management.

Hours:

Telephone:

Address:

Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST

Toll-free — (800) 677-9424

Solid Waste Assistance Program

P.O. BOX 7219

Silver Spring, MD 20910

National Response Center

Accepts reports of oil and chemical spills or any other environmental

incident.

Hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Telephone: Toll-free — (800) 424-2675

Washington metro area — (202) 426-2675

EPA Small Business Ombudsman

Helps small businesses comply with environmental laws and EPA

regulations.

Hours:

Telephone:

Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST

Toll-free — (800) 368-5888

Washington metro area — (703) 305-5938
U.S Government Printing office: 1993 719-117/61150

EPA Regional Contacts

U.S. EPA Region 1

Waste Management Division

(HEE-CAN 6)

JFK Federal Building

Boston, MA 02203

(617) 573-9656

U.S. EPA Region 2

Air & Waste Management

Division (2AWM-SW)

26 Federal Plaza

New York, NY 10278

(212) 264-0002

U.S. EPA Region 3

RCRA Solid Waste Program

(3HW53)

841 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 597-7936

U.S. EPA Region 4

Waste Management Division

(4WD-RCRA-FF)

345 Courtland Street, NE

U.S. EPA Region 5

Waste Management Division

(H-7J)

77 West Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 353-4686

U.S. EPA Region 6

RCRA Programs Branch

First Interstate Bank Tower

1445 Ross Avenue,

Suite 1200

Dallas, TX 75202

(214) 655-6655

U.S. EPA Region 7

Waste Management Division

726 Minnesota Avenue

Kansas City, KS 66101

(913) 551-7666

U.S. EPA Region 8

Hazardous Waste

Management Branch

(HWM-WM)

999 18th Street, Suite 500

Denver, CO 80202-2466

(303) 293-1661

EPA Region 9

Hazardous Waste

Management Division

(H-3-1)

75 Hawthorne Street

San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 744-2074

U.S. EPA Region 10

Hazardous Waste Division

(W-114)

1200 Sixth Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 553-2857

Atlanta, GA 30365

(404) 347-2091
The information in this document has been funded

wholly or in part by the United States Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) under assistance agreement

#X820495-0l-0 to the Solid Waste Association of North

America. It has been subjected to the Agency’s peer

and administrative review and has been approved for

publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade

names or commercial products does not constitute

endorsement or recommendation for use.