Solid Waste Landfill Geotechnics

Dr Gary Schmertmann, URS Australia Pty Ltd

Solid waste is a particulate material that is analogous to soil in many respects, although with somewhat extreme engineering properties. The presentation concerns the application of geotechnical engineering concepts to solid waste landfill behaviour. A number of applicable geotechnical engineering analysis approaches will be discussed and illustrated. The major topics covered by the presentation comprise solid waste properties, slope stability and settlement. Issues relating to geosynthetic materials (e.g. geomembranes, GCLs, geotextiles) will also be addressed. The slope stability discussion includes static and seismic loading, material properties of waste, waste pore pressure, and shear strength of lining systems and interfaces. Settlement issues include self-weight compression of waste during landfilling, as well as continuing waste settlement/decomposition after landfill closure. Landfill project examples will be presented to illustrate typical geotechnical analysis and design results.

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