Leachate Containment in Quarry Landfills

Old quarries are increasingly being converted into solid waste landfills. This practice makes economic use of voids, and, at the end of landfilling, can lead to a reasonable restoration of what might otherwise be scars on the landscape. These sites have to be designed on a fully contained basis to prevent the migration of leachate and landfill gas. The engineering challenge in constructing such landfills includes developing an appropriate lining and drainage system for the base and the steep sided quarry walls. Case histories are presented of lining and drainage systems for quarried landfills in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.