ZDC – The Safe Landfill

From Open-Cast Mining to the Cröbern Central Landfill

At the beginning of the 90es of last century in the modern Leipzig Lake District, in the open-cast mining area of Espenhain, developed the Cröbern Central Landfill. Actually Cröbern was named after a place, which had to make way for the mining activities. Similarly to the restoration of mining areas, also the responsibility for the construction, recultivation and after-closure care of dumping facilities extends far into the future. Very strict legal requirements for the safe disposal of non-recyclable waste have to be met. The safeguarding of human health and environment has already top priority. A 5-meter thick bottom waterproof lining protects groundwater and stabilizes the landfill. A gas drainage layer prevents the methane that is detrimental to the climate, from being released into the atmosphere. High-tech measuring systems monitor the subsidence of the body of the landfill constantly. A modern facility will thus develop over the centuries to meet the highest technical and safety standards.

The 6 Elements for a Safe Landfill

  • Bottom Waterproof Lining and Tunnel

A 4,9-meter thick multilayer barrier system protects the groundwater. It is composed of several layers of clay minerals, a plastic tape and a drainage layer. An underground tunnel extending all along the axis of the landfill is unique in Germany. The measuring equipment installed in the landfill body may be read to assess and monitor the landfill subsidence. Furthermore the tunnel leads to the long manifold collecting leachate that must be cleaned at regular time intervals.

  • Waste Controls

The waste control foresees the weighing, the visual inspection of the waste and the check of the waste documents. A laboratory analyses the chemical composition of the delivered waste.

  • Landfill Gas Recovery and Recycling

During the deposition of non-processed waste, various chemical, physical and biological processes give rise to landfill gas, which has a negative impact on the climate. The gas is absorbed, cleaned and then converted into electricity by means of combined heat and power units. The storage of non-processed waste has been forbidden since 2005. Only biologically inert waste materials can be deposited in the landfill. No gas build-up occurs, thus making the gas recovery system in the East landfill zones unnecessary.

  • Cleaning of Leachate

The landfill leachate can be cleaned through reverse osmosis. The three-stage, full automatic membrane system resolves the landfill leachate through its physical decomposition into directly drainable, contaminant-free permeate and harmful concentrate.

  • Landfill Capping

Landfill capping prevents rainwater from soaking the landfill, so that the leachate and gas build-up slowly decrease.

  • Landfill After-Closure Care

After the deposit of the last ton of waste, the landfill cannot be simply abandoned; on the contrary, it must be still monitored over many centuries.