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Rubbish tip managementThis section contains information on:
Waste placed in landfill rubbish tips can take years - sometimes generations - to decay. When you are planning a new waste tip, consider how it will serve the community day to day, and how it might affect the community and the environment in the long term. If a tip is put in the wrong place, it can be very difficult and expensive to move the dumped waste to another site. There is also the cost of rehabilitating the land so that it is safe for people, wildlife and vegetation.
In most cases, councils are required by law to have an environmental licence to build and run their rubbish tips. Under the conditions of the licence councils must protect the health of their community and the natural environment from risks that come with operating rubbish tips.
Before you build a rubbish tip, you should find out what environmental laws and licences apply to your Council and your tip by contacting your nearest Environmental Protection Agency Regional Office.
Below are some important things to consider. Talking with EHWs in other areas is also a good way of getting practical information on managing your rubbish tip.
The site needs to be close enough to a community for people to use it, but far enough away so that it does not create health problems and the smells do not carry to the community. It is better that the tip can’t be seen from the community. However, if the best site available is one that can be seen from some houses, create a natural screen. For example, plant a line of trees and shrubs, or place excavated soil as a barrier. (Also consider ‘Water Flow’ and ‘Wind Direction’)
The cost of preparing the site and building the tip is just the beginning. Work out how much it will cost to operate it.
Consulting with elders and other community members will help determine if a site has special significance or meaning for them. Also, if there is a significant site nearby, will it be affected by waste that is scattered by the wind, water, or animals?
Make sure that the site is away from a seasonal waterway, tides from the sea and drinking water supplies (eg. bores or creeks). Heavy rains can erode the soil covering the waste.
A longer-term risk with buried rubbish is leaching. Leaching happens when water seeps through rotting rubbish and picks up harmful bacteria or chemicals. This polluted water can find its way into creeks, rivers, bores and groundwater. It could also come to the surface in a spring. Drinking or swimming in polluted water will make people sick. People can also get sick from eating fish caught in polluted water.
The right type of land and soil is important for rubbish tips. Do not choose natural dips in the ground where water does not drain away quickly as leaching will occur more easily. Do not put a rubbish tip on sloping land, especially land that is uphill from the community, as leaching can occur through the soil and into the community. The land should be as flat as possible.
Different types of soil are better for rubbish tips than others. Find out what types of soil are below the surface. A base of heavy clay soil is better than sandy soil or gravel as clay lets less liquid through.
Wind can carry smells and flies from the tip to the community. When siting a waste tip, consider which general direction wind will come from on most days, especially in summer. Locate the tip downwind from the community.
Will community members be dumping rubbish at the tip? Or, will access be restricted to council staff or other authorised people? If community members are allowed to take rubbish to the tip, can they get there all year without a special vehicle (eg. four-wheel-drive)? Will the access road handle heavy trucks in the wet? Is the tip safe for the community to use?
Clean soil should be regularly placed on rubbish and firmly compacted. Compacting is usually done with heavy equipment, such as a bulldozer or front-end loader. Uncovered rubbish attracts flies, rats, dogs, birds, and feral animals. Regular compacting helps keep out water that can carry away pollution.
The more rubbish you can fit into a tip, the longer it will last. Arrange for rubbish to be compacted regularly.
If a pit is dug to build the rubbish tip, keep the excavated soil to use for covering and compacting. When the tip is full, any soil left over can be spread and planted with native grass and plants to rehabilitate the site to a natural state.
It is difficult for small, remote communities to handle the recycling of things like glass, plastics, and cardboard. Usually, they have to be compacted with other household rubbish. If you are keen to recycle, talk to nearby councils about a joint program for collecting and processing these items once or twice a year.
Large metal items, like old car bodies and fridges, are hard to compact. Keep these separate from household rubbish. If you can’t have them collected by a scrap-metal buyer, make sure that they are not a hazard for people using the dump, especially children. For example, remove catches or locks from doors that could trap children inside old fridges, cupboards or car boots.
Inspect the rubbish tip regularly to make sure that any problems are found early and fixed before they get out of hand. For example, is buried rubbish being dug up by animals? Is rubbish being blown away by the wind? Is the area in front of the tip clear of rubbish so that people can park their vehicles and safely unload rubbish? Is water collecting on the surface or the tip and allowing mosquitoes to breed? Is polluted water draining away from the tip? Are protective mounds of earth or other safety barriers in good condition?
The risks involved with burning waste at a rubbish tip can be:
It is illegal to burn waste at a tip unless you have a permit from Environmental Protection Agency Regional Office or the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service. Please contact these agencies before you burn rubbish anything!
Common types of dangerous goods in smaller communities are motor oil, car batteries, contaminated (dirty) fuel, pesticides, paints and household chemicals.
Prevent people dumping flammable liquids and poisons in the rubbish tip. Provide a separate area at the tip for people to leave dangerous goods. Alternatively, arrange for dangerous goods to be collected from households and business so that they can be disposed of safely, or stored.
Drums with lids can be placed at the entrance to the waste tip to receive certain types of dangerous goods. Each drum should indicate the type of goods to be placed in it.
WARNING! When some chemicals are mixed with others, they can catch fire or explode. Set up your storage area in a way so people do not mix different chemicals. Educate the community on the dangers of chemical disposal and what they can do to protect themselves.
If dangerous goods are dumped at the waste tip and cannot be safely removed your council might need to register the site as a contaminated site with the Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, please click: Dangerous Goods.
Composted grass, trees and vegetation can be used around the community in private or public gardens. Compost protects plant root systems, reduces the volume of water they need, and provides natural fertiliser as it decays. Composting could be done at the waste tip, or within the community limits if noise or dust does not create a nuisance.
For more information, please click: Composting.
Many local councils have made it illegal for community members to scavenge from council tips. One reason for this is that people can hurt themselves on sharp objects, or get sick from cuts and scratches.
However, with council approval, an area can be set aside for people to leave items that could be reused by others in the community. These items could include old bicycles, wheelbarrows, garden tools, and toys. A sign should show where the reuse area is and tell people what they can leave there.
For health and environmental reasons, it is important that your council plans how it will close and rehabilitate (fix up) the tip before it opens and while it is in operation. The following ideas can speed up the rehabilitation process and help the land return sooner to a safe, natural state.
Before closing the tip, tell your community where the new tip is located. When the new tip site is opened, put up a barrier or sign at the old tip to stop further dumping.
Cover the old tip site with a good depth of soil to stop animals digging up rubbish. If clay soil is available, use it as a base for the covering. Clay helps prevent water seeping below the surface into buried rubbish and leaching out poisons. On top of the clay, spread good soil that will encourage native grass and vegetation to regrow. This new growth will help prevent erosion.
You could involve the local school students or other community members in the rehabilitation project by getting them to plant seedlings of native species. Talk to elders or other community members with traditional knowledge of local vegetation. Note: Always supervise any visits to the site by children or other community members during rehabilitation.
A record of where the closed tip is located should be kept by your council in case future councils consider developing or reusing the site.
As buried rubbish rots, the land above can move or cave in. This can create erosion, allow animals to get at the rubbish, or allow rotting rubbish to be washed into waterways. A cave-in can also be a hazard for people and wildlife.
Visit the old tip site regularly, especially in the wet season. More soil might need to be added to fill holes or washouts. Illegally dumped rubbish will have to be taken away or buried.
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