Landfilling waste is harmful to the environment as it represents a waste of valuable resources.
Space is also running out in our landfills, and under the European Landfill Directive we have to significantly reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill or face large fines.
In Cambridgeshire, we have massively reduced the amount of waste we landfill. A very small amount of waste including some bulky waste and a proportion from our Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant (MBT) which cannot be recycled is taken to one of three landfills in Cambridgeshire. These are at Buckden, March and Waterbeach (there are others but these are not used by the Council).
Landfill sites are huge holes in the ground which waste is tipped into. The landfills are lined with an impermeable layer of clay to protect surrounding ground and water systems. Each layer of waste is compacted and covered with soil at the end of every day to prevent it from blowing away, and to reduce smells.
When a landfill is full, it is covered with clay and landscaped. This is called a "closed landfill" and can be used for a number of purposes, such as nature reserves.
Both active and closed landfills are regularly monitored by the Environment Agency, and controls are in place so that gas does not build up, and leachate (the liquid which forms as waste decays) does not harm the environment.
You can view where active and closed landfills are located using the Environment Agency waste interactive map.
Funding is available for environmental, heritage and community projects near landfills through the landfill communities fund.