The Science of Alternative Daily Cover Welcome

Blue Ridge Services

Understanding ADC: The Science of Alternative Daily Cover Presented: July 31, 2012

Welcome • Sarah is our organizer

• We’ll do Q&A during the webinar

…and at the end

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Presented by: Neal Bolton, P.E.

Neal is a Civil Engineer with over 34 years experience in landfills and heavy construction, including several years as a heavy equipment operator.

He has conducted hundreds of evaluations on the process of using Alternative Daily Cover at landfills across the U.S. and abroad.

He has provided training on this topic for the EIA, SWANA, CalRecycle, KDHE, and several thousand public/private landfill operators and managers.

Contact Neal at: [email protected]

Today

• We’ll be §258.21 Cover material requirements. talking Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the owners or operators of all MSWLF units must about cover disposed solid waste with six inches of earthen Alternatives material at the end of each operating day, or at more frequent intervals if necessary, to control disease to Daily vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and scavenging. Cover Soil Alternative materials of an alternative thickness (other than at least six inches of earthen material) may be approved by the Director of an approved State if the owner or operator demonstrates that the • You alternative material and thickness control disease Know…ADC vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and scavenging without presenting a threat to human health and the environment.

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Who Needs Alternatives? • We do • …You do

• Typically, daily cover represents 16” of soil …not 6”

Too Much Soil • And at worst, can represent a lot more

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Best Way to Cover? • So, what’s the best way to cover the trash? 1

2 3 4

5 6 7

The Answer is…

• Don’t use any soil at all …

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Less is Best • …but of course we must use some soil • However, the goal is to minimize soil use whenever …and wherever possible

Instead, Use ADC

Photo by: Tarparmor

Photo by: Enviro Cover Photo by: Posi-Shell

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With ADC, It Gets Better

ADC Criteria • Why is it 6” inches of soil? • It’s a prescriptive & performance standard • But it’s really more than 6” • How could ADC help your landfill? • Infiltration • Cost • Aesthetics • Birds • Fire • Vectors • Regulatory violations • Odors • Litter

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Avoid Cover …altogether? In states with approved permitting programs, the State Director is authorized to allow alternative cover materials or thicknesses, or to grant temporary waivers from the daily cover requirement if extreme seasonal weather conditions, such as heavy snow or severe freezing, make meeting this requirement impractical.

EPA Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Facility Criteria

There are Many Types of ADC

• Tarps • Film • Foam • Spray • Wood Waste • Green Waste • Auto Shredder Fluff

• One guy wanted to use Seagulls!!

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Manually Placed Tarps • Manually- placed tarps are cheap and easy. • Problems with wind & snow

Spray-Type ADC • Provides flexibility • Issues with wind • Shadowing • Odd Geometry

Photo by: Posi-Shell

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Mechanized Tarping • Quick and easy to place and remove • Tarps last up to 2 years • Economical • Requires plane surface

Photo by: Tarp-O-Matic

Photo by: Tarparmor

Green Waste • Provides beneficial re- use of waste material • Can be costly due to multiple handling • Consumes airspace

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Wood Waste • Requires multiple handling • Provides credit for diversion • Flammable

Unprocessed Material (shingles)

• Using an unprocessed waste is economical but not allowed in some States • Cheap but looks like trash (…it is)

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Foam Machine

• Looks like shaving cream • Requires specialized machine • Good for odd geometric shapes

Film Machine • Near zero airspace used • Requires special equipment and material • Sheds water • No removal required

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Exemption • Waiver is possible during heavy snow or freezing conditions

Seagulls ?? • Don’t even think about it

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So, Which ADC is Best? • The one that fits your operation and works best for your landfill’s condition(s)

ADC Considerations

• Consider your site- specific issues when selecting one or more types of ADC

• Why use shingles?

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Because of a Unique Issue

• This particular landfill had a problem with wild pigs • Shingles worked best

How is ADC Used?

• Many landfills use more than one type of ADC – based on: – Type of waste – Geometry of Cell – Weather Conditions – Accessibility – Type of Equipment – Size of Landfill Operation

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ADC Selection Criteria

• ADC selection is sometimes based on personal preference • May also include additional, site- specific factors …let’s look at some

Criteria: Green Waste • Green Waste: do you have lots of green waste …with no market? • …do you need to reach certain diversion goals? • Do you have reject material from a compost or co-gen operation?

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Criteria: Spray-on Material • Do you have rough waste that would tear tarps or require excessive depths of green waste? • Do you have irregularly-shaped cells to cover? • Do you have other uses for a sprayer? – Erosion control tackifier – Hydroseeding – Dust suppression

One Operator Surveyed Said:

We like to use tarps when it’s windy, because we can lay them out …just like making the bed

And when it’s calm, we use the spray-on material

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Another Operator Said:

I like to use spray-on ADC when it’s windy …because we can really get good distance from the nozzle

And when it’s calm, we use the tarps

So, What Does ADC Cost? • Capital Costs • Operating Costs • Labor • Materials • Factor in Airspace Costs

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Capital Costs • These include: – Owning – Lease – Rent – Contract Cost

• Figure this cost out on a per day basis – Include all machines • Foam machine, Spray machine, Tarp machine, Grinder • Dozer to place tarps or tow spray machine • Truck to haul processed wood material • Purchased re-used materials (i.e., tarps)

Operating Costs

• Consumable Materials – Foam – Spray mix – Film • Machine Costs – Diesel – Repairs – Services • Labor

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Estimating ADC Costs • Here’s an example of how to calculate cost of green waste ADC • It’s usually best to evaluate cost in terms of $/sf

Compare: Soil to ADC • First, let’s look at soil

• …then at ADC

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Soil Use

• Soil Costs are often the single biggest factor at your landfill

What Does an Extra Load of Soil Cost? • Let’s figure it out. – Payload: 20cy – Airspace value: ~$7 – Hauling: $2 – Approximately $180/load

– When you’re hauling “extra” soil, you’re costing the landfill $180 per load

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Here is the Goal • In general, we want to construct a cell that has the minimum surface area.

Cell Components

• A typical cell has three surfaces: – Top – Side – Face

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It’s What You Do • During the life of your landfill, you’ll construct thousands of Daily Cells

• Getting it Right will Save you $Millions

Least Cover Soil

• Slanted Cube is Best (for soil only)

MOST

LEAST

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Calculate the Surface Area

• Top: 100’ x 34’ = 3,400 sf

• Side: 34’ x square root (576 + 64) = 860 sf

• Face: 100 x square root (576 + 64) = 2,530 sf

• Total surface area = 6,790 sf

How Much? • How much soil are we using? 16” = 1.33 ft …1.33 x 6,790 / 27 = 334 cy per day

• So, what’s it cost? 334 cy @ $13/cy* = $4,342 per day

*$11/cy (airspace) + $2/cy (soil transport)

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Example $4,342 per day ÷ 6,790 square feet = $064/sf

…that’s 64₵ per square foot

You can buy carpet at your local home supply store for 59₵ per square foot …and choose from 60 different colors

But with ADC • ADC establishes a whole new set of rules – it’s a game changer.

MOST

LEAST

MODERATE

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Other Considerations When Covering with Soil…

LEAST

When Using ADC… LEAST

To Minimize Dozer $... LEAST

For Best Compaction… BEST

To Minimize Litter… LEAST

Main Thing: Use Less Soil 1. Reduce soil by LEAST using ADC

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…But We’re Still in Conflict • To Minimize Soil …Long Sloping Cell – with ADC on the slope

• To Maximize Density …Long Horizontal Cell

Here’s a Solution • Slope v. Flat

• Solution: – Many landfills use a “pancake” or flat- pack system – along with ADC

• Here’s an Example…

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Best of Both • Long Horizontal Cell …with ADC on the Flat Face

• Stack horizontal cells for several days

• Cover with soil when at Grade

Flat = Best Compaction

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ADC on Flat – Stack 5+ Days

Cover When At Grade

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Looks Like This… • We place each day’s trash in a “pancake” and only cover it when the stack reaches grade. • Our landfill now performs like a much larger landfill.

Apply the Same Concept to the Landfill • The more pancakes we stack, the less soil we use on a daily basis.

• This landfill builds a 7- day stack of pancakes.

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Here they are

Using ADC to Pancake • In our example, we used tarps, but any ADC can be used.

Photo by: Enviro Cover

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Here is the Process… • At the beginning of a new stack, the cell looks like this

• First step is to strip all soil from footprint

The Process… • Next, begin placing waste on the cell footprint

• At the end of the first day, cover the old face and the new pancake

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The Process …finishing up

• Finally, when the stack is full, the old face is covered and the new stack of pancakes is covered with soil and/or ADC …with a tarp on the face

• For more information on pancake filling, see webinar: Daily Cell Construction

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Wrap Up Any Questions or Comments?

Thank You For Attending! www.BlueRidgeServices.com

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