Ipswich City Council

Waste

Landfills

All about a load of Rubbish!!

Each household in Ipswich is provided with two 240-litre mobile garbage bins. One is green with a green lid and is for general rubbish. The other is green with a yellow lid and is only for recycling!

The green refuse bin is collected once a week from the kerbside and the rubbish is taken to landfill (like the one at Whitwood Road, Ipswich).

Whitwood Road Landfill

Ipswich Waste Services operates the only remaining landfill owned by Ipswich City Council. This site is closed to the public and receives waste from Ipswich Waste Services collection services and some other waste collection companies by commercial arrangement. The site is a former coalmine and has been operating as a landfill since the early 1980's.

The landfills in and around Ipswich are old coalmines. Landfills take up a lot of room and cause a big problem for Councils when they fill up because another suitable area has to be found.
A landfill is made up of a series of stages or cells. The base of each cell is constructed so that it slopes towards a sump at its lowest point.
A series of drains acting as a groundwater interception system is installed to remove any groundwater that flows into the cell.
Waste is deposited at the landfill by transfer vehicles and is then spread and compacted using a large Caterpillar compactor (or similar). Only limited vehicles are usually allowed on site.
At night, the working layer is covered to reduce odour, prevent litter being blown by the wind and prevent vermin and scavengers feeding off the rubbish.
As the landfill is filled, a layer of recompacted clay is progressively laid over the outermost surface. This helps to reduce rainwater entering the landfill and reduces the amount of leachate produced.
Leachate is created when rainwater enters the landfill cell and mixes with decomposing waste. The leachate can either be recirculated back through the landfill helping to speed up the rate of decomposition or it can be collected from the landfill sump, treated and discharged to the sewerage system.
Landfill gas is produced by the decomposition of organic waste by anaerobic bacteria. It is made up mostly of methane and carbon dioxide, which are both greenhouse gases. Landfill gas can affect plant growth as well as causing an offensive odour.
A gas extraction system can draw the gas out of the landfill and flare it off. Today however, a number of landfills including Whitwood Road landfill, are taking this gas and using it as a renewable source of energy.

Last Updated 8 Aug 2008 |

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