Background:
This profile deals with waste recycling, treatment and disposal sites and focuses on landfills and other waste treatment or disposal sites. The discussion of landfill sites in this profile includes the disposal of hazardous waste. Another industry profile Waste recycling, treatment and disposal sites: hazardous waste treatment plants considers the treatment of hazardous waste by incineration and by physical, chemical and biological methods.
Potential Processes and Operations:
This profile considers the operations at the following types of waste management facilities:
- waste collection and transfer stations (processes include sorting, compaction, baling, depollution (e.g. of end-of-life vehicles), liquid management)
- landfill sites
- household/commercial waste incinerators
Potential Contaminants of Concern:
Industry profiles usually include a list of potential contaminants associated with different locations on site. For this profile a site-wide approach has been taken because its focus is on landfills and other waste treatment or waste disposal sites and may be contaminated by a large range of substances. It is recommended that an appropriate site investigation be carried out to determine the exact nature of the contamination associated with an individual site, taking into account the history of the site.
| Contaminant type | Main group of contaminants | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Site wide | ||
| Organic | Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | • |
| Halogenated hydrocarbons | • | |
| Non-halogenated hydrocarbons | • | |
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs | • | |
| Dioxins and furans | • | |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | • | |
| Pesticides and herbicides | • | |
| Organometallic compounds | • | |
| Explosives | ||
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) |
• | |
| Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) | • | |
| Inorganic | Metals | • |
| Non-metals and common inorganic substances | • | |
| Asbestos | • | |
| Cyanides | • | |
| Radionuclides |
- Best available techniques reference document (BREF) - Landfills (meeting report for the drawing up of a BREF for landfills - 2026)
- Best available techniques reference document (BREF) - Waste Incineration (2019)
- Best available techniques reference document (BREF) - Waste Treatment (2018)
- CL:AIRE PFAS Site Profile 04 - Landfills (due to be published in summer 2026)
- For specific sites further information may be obtained from environmental permits which may be found by relevant searches.
