18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · December 2014
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
Reference texts: Tchobanoglous, Theisen & Vigil, Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues; Vesilind, Worrell & Reinhart, Solid Waste Engineering; Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (6th ed.); CCME, Guidance Document on Landfill Gas Management; Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
This paper prints marks IN FRONT of the question number on every line (e.g. "5 1. What are the elements…", "4 16. All 29 questions are answered in full.
Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.
Leachate generation and groundwater/surface-water contamination if the liner or collection system underperforms; landfill gas generation (methane, a potent greenhouse gas, plus explosion and vegetation-kill risk from off-site migration if uncontrolled); land consumption and diminishing site availability, compounded by public opposition (NIMBY) to siting new facilities; long-term post-closure liability — leachate and gas continue to be generated and must be monitored/managed for decades after a landfill stops accepting waste; odour and vector attraction (birds, rodents, insects) affecting neighbouring land uses; settlement of the waste mass over time, which can damage the final cap and any post-closure infrastructure; and loss of resource value — materials and energy that could have been recovered are instead permanently buried.
