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Small-scale landfills: impacts on groundwater and soil

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Abstract

In Brazil, the large quantities of solid waste produced are out of step with public policies, technological developments, and government budgets for the division. In small municipalities, the common lack of technological knowledge and financial conditions for suitable waste disposal has resulted in a large number of illegal dumps. Therefore, small sanitary landfill facilities are working with simplified operations focusing on cost reduction and meeting the economic and technological standards of the city without endangering the environment or public health. Currently, this activity is regulated at a federal level although there is some uncertainty regarding the risk of soil and aquifer contamination as theses facilities do not employ liners. Thus, this work evaluates a small landfill to identify changes in soil and groundwater using geotechnical parameters, monitoring wells, and geophysical tests performed by electrical profiling. It is verified that based on current conditions, no contaminants have migrated via underground water aquifers, and overall no significant changes have occurred in the soil. It is concluded that, despite its simplicity, the method investigated is a viable alternative for the final disposal of municipal solid waste from small cities, especially in developing countries.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP (Sao Paulo Research Foundation) and CAPES—Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduated Education) for the resources that enabled this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bauru School of Engineering, FEB, State University of Sao Paulo “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, UNESP, Av. Eng. Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube, 14-01, 176, Vargem Limpa, Bauru, SP, CEP 17033-360, Brazil

    Rodrigo Augusto Bellezoni & Jorge Hamada

  2. Sao Paulo State Environmental Agency, CETESB, Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Júnior, 345, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05459-900, Brazil

    Cristiano Kenji Iwai

  3. Astronomy, Atmospherical Science and Geophysics Institute, IAG, University of Sao Paulo, USP, R. do Matão, 1226, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-900, Brazil

    Vagner Roberto Elis

  4. College of Public Health, FSP, University of Sao Paulo, USP, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, Pacaembu, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01246-904, Brazil

    Wanderley da Silva Paganini

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  1. Rodrigo Augusto Bellezoni
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  2. Cristiano Kenji Iwai
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  3. Vagner Roberto Elis
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  4. Wanderley da Silva Paganini
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  5. Jorge Hamada
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Correspondence to Rodrigo Augusto Bellezoni.

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Bellezoni, R.A., Iwai, C.K., Elis, V.R. et al. Small-scale landfills: impacts on groundwater and soil. Environ Earth Sci 71, 2429–2439 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2643-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2643-1

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