dfill gas to produce electricity and an innovative re-vegetation plan. Who’s InvolvedSanitary landfills involve well-designed engineering methods to protect the environment from contamination by solid or liquid wastes. A necessary condition in designing a sanitary landfill is the availability of vacant land that is available to the community being served and has the capacity to handle several years of waste material. (Webster) Of course, the location must also be acceptable to the local community. If a landfill happens to be situated near housing, it would be considered unacceptable because of the affiliated odors and pests. The government also plays a key role in sanitary landfill locations, since governments operate most of them. There are numerous organizations that want to see an end to landfills and a more environment friendly alternative to handle solid waste. One such organization is “Keep America Beautiful” based out of Washington, D.C. They have been known to join coalitions with various Canadian organizations as well. This particular organization was originally founded to combat littering, but expanded its scope and now has published a curriculum guide and other materials on a variety of waste-related subjects. They also have the reputation of helping communities fight against landfill planners who want to build a landfill close to their residence. Solutions Today, the sanitary landfill is the major method of disposing waste materials in Alberta and in most parts of the world, even though considerable efforts are being made to find alternative methods, such as recycling and composting. In addition, landfills are being engineered to recover the methane gas that they generate during decomposition to make electricity. (Webster) There are initiatives being taken to try and dramatically reduce the amount of waste being dump into our landfills. Following the first Earth Day in 1970 community recycling programs spr...
