Difference Between Dump and Landfill

Dump vs Landfill

Waste disposal is one of the biggest problems that the world is facing. In man’s everyday life, he produces waste materials which, if not properly managed, can lead to health and environmental problems. Governments are faced with finding the most effective waste disposal and management systems to use.

A few decades ago when the human population was not as large as it is today, waste disposal was easily managed. People used dumps which are excavated pieces of land or pits where waste materials are stored. Most households, especially those in rural areas, have dumps while urban communities have a common dump for their residents.
Dumps are not regulated by the government and they lack processing control. They can be found anywhere and may or not be covered with soil. They are also not monitored and the chances of the liquids produced by solid waste in contaminating the water supply is great.

Open dumps can attract pests such as flies and rats and emit bad odors which are hazardous to man. Because of this, dumps are considered illegal and have since been replaced with landfills. Communal dumps have been converted to landfills which are regulated by the government.

The ideal landfill is one which is confined to a small area and is covered with layers of soil. It is also required to have a liner at the bottom of the pit to prevent leachate or the liquid from solid waste to seep through and contaminate the water supply.

Aside from this, a landfill must have groundwater testing, leachate treatment systems, and it must be covered with soil everyday so that it cannot invite pests and other animals and emit unpleasant odors in the air.
Once a landfill is filled, a new one is created. Old landfills can be sources of toxins which are caused by the inability of waste materials to rot naturally. Because landfills are good sources of recyclable materials, they draw scavengers who face the risk of being buried under the pile of rubbish if they are careless.
While dumps and landfills are used to address the waste problems, in the long run they can become health and environmental hazards.

Summary:

1.A dump is an excavated piece of land used as storage for waste materials while a landfill is also an excavated piece of land for waste storage but it is regulated by the government.
2.A dump is smaller than a landfill.
3.A dump does not have leachate collection and treatment systems while a landfill does.
4.A landfill has a liner at the bottom to catch the liquid produced by solid waste while a dump does not have a liner.
5.Landfills are covered daily with soil to deter pests and prevent bad smells from being released into the air while dumps may be covered or not.
6.After a while, landfills might produce toxic gases which are released into the air and ground because the waste materials cannot rot while dumps are hazards because they can be located anywhere.

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