Some older landfills have also installed the equipment. It takes approximately two years after closing a cell of the landfill for methane to begin forming. Explosions and fires at old dumps and landfills are often the result of methane build-up in a building on or adjacent to the landfill property. Any discussion of landfills would not be complete without identifying several related issues Each of these other issues is worthy of significant attention and consideration in landfill decisions but for purposes of this fact sheet, they will only be introduced. It is very expensive to provide trucks that go from house to house or from building to building.
Collection costs are also labor intensive.
Whether the collection system is public or private, these high costs for collection are paid. In some situations, collection systems can be publicly funded or subsidized. In others, households or businesses pay monthly fees for collection and sometimes pay surcharges for more waste than is permitted on their route. A significant cost is for hauling. In one national study, it was found that it cost at least 50 cents per mile per ton of garbage to haul collected wastes.