Final disposal should be the last chance solution when dealing with solid waste. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, we will continue to need landfills and incinerators for some of our waste. Fortunately, modern landfills are a far cry from the open dumps of recent memory. Modern landfills are built with complex liner systems designed to trap any water that may have filtered through the trash and collect it so that it can be tested and treated before being released into the environment. Waste is covered every day to keep birds, rats, insects and other vermin from becoming a problem.
Modern landfills are truly an engineering marvel.
We have one privately owned landfill within the District. It is owned by Waste Managment and is located south of Tontitown. There are also several other landfills located nearby although outside the District's boundaries. Since it can be very expensive to drive the trucks that collect waste all the way to the nearest landfill, there are several transfer stations within the District. A transfer station is merely a facility where waste is dumped from the collection trucks into semi-trailers which are then hauled to the landfill.