Many people think of composting organic matter as a way of keeping solid waste out of landfills, but a new study from North Carolina State University finds there can be significant environmental benefits associated with using compost at landfills.
Many people think of composting organic matter as a way of keeping solid waste out of landfills, but a new study from North Carolina State University finds there can be significant environmental benefits associated with using compost at landfills.
“There are an increasing number of composting programs out there, and many of them are required to use the resulting compost ‘beneficially,’” says James Levis, corresponding author of the study and a research assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State. “A lot of state and local regulations don’t recognize ‘alternative daily cover’ as a beneficial use. But our work shows that using compost as alternative daily cover at landfills is competitive, and often superior, to the use of compost as a soil amendment in terms of its environmental benefits.”
Landfills apply a layer of daily cover each day in order to reduce odors, reduce wind-blown debris and keep vermin out of the landfilled waste. Federal regulations currently require six inches of soil as a daily cover.
Read more: North Carolina State University
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