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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A sanitary landfill will have to close without reaching its design life

once it is full. The sanitary landfill of the City of San Fernando may end

up closing prematurely unless steps are taken to reduce waste.

An Engineered Sanitary Landfill is an engineered facility that

separates and confines waste intended as biological reactors in which

microbes will break down complex organic waste into simpler, less toxic

compounds over time. It serves as an alternative way in sustaining our

needs to reduce the risk of waste.

The 85-acre landfill, which takes a large helping of trash from the

Portland metropolitan area, has less than two years of capacity left. Waste

Management has been trying to expand the facility since 2008 to keep it

open another 15 to 20 years, but expansion plans have been stymied by

opponents. Now the clock is ticking.

If Riverbend can’t expand to accept more garbage, the landfill will

close once it reaches capacity. And that’s exactly what neighbor Ramsey
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McPhillips and other members of the Stop the Dump Coalition are

hoping for.

The reality at Riverbend is a reminder that we’re still throwing out a

lot of trash – even with higher recycling rates. The Metro region is diverting

more than half of its waste from landfills through recycling and

composting. New technologies are emerging to generate energy from

garbage instead of landfilling it. But the amount of garbage going to

landfills every year is still about the same as it was two decades ago.

Waste Management has two big projects that promise to divert more

waste from its landfills in the future. A facility in Portland it is going to

start making crude oil from plastic this month, using technology

developed by the Beaverton company Agilyx. In Arlington, the company is

working with InEnTech of Bend to convert garbage into synthetic gas.

Green technology can extend the life of landfills, but “it might be

awhile before any of this technology have an impact on the large volume

of waste society is producing.” – Lang

(https://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope)

MANILA, Philippines, Metro Manila is generating too much trash,

the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) revealed in its

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report attached to the 2016 Commission on Audit (COA) report released

on Wednesday, June 21.

According to the report, the waste generated by the National Capital

Region increased by about 450,000 cubic meters, equivalent to some

75,000 truckloads of trash. The MMDA had to haul 10.72 million cubic

meters of trash in 2016 compared to just 10.27 million cubic meters in

2015.

At the rate the metropolis is generating trash, the 3 landfills it is

using would be rendered unusable by 2037 at the latest, the MMDA report

said. These disposal facilities will be unusable by the following years:

Quezon City Sanitary Land Fill – 2021, Navotas Sanitary Land Fill – 2026

and Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill – 2037.

According to the report, the increase in trash cost taxpayers P1.84

billion through tipping fees. (https://www.rappler.com/nation/173624-

metro-landfills-full-20-years-mmda-report)

A landfill cell can be viewed as a ‘treatment system’ rather than just

a long-term waste containment structure. When the ‘treatment’ is

complete, the conditioned waste, soil cover and sacrificial plastic wells

(used to inject air and water) can be mined and excavated so that ‘new’ cell
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airspace can be created. From a life-cycle perspective, the bioreactor

landfill could be the basis for a cost-effective sustainable solution to solid

waste. (https://waste-management-world.com/a/the-sustainable-

landfill-becomes-a-reality)

Gualberto also boasted the immense improvement at the Engineered

Sanitary Landfill (ESLF). It was built in 2015 and had a supposedly 25-

year life span but due to issues in management, this was reduced to 10

years. ( https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/02/01/mayor-cites-san-

fernandos-big-strides-as-a-city/ )

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Risk of increasing volume of wastes that are transported to the

landfill may not be avoided but extending the design life and sustainability

of the said structure may be possible. Due to the different factors that

increased the volume of wastes, the design life of the engineered sanitary

landfill is also at risk.

This study aims to keep the sustainability of the sanitary landfill by

analyzing its profile such as the design, land area, material or waste

collection, type of management and present condition. Policies including

the problems towards the maintenance and management of the landfill

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will also be observed as to how the researcher will approach methods as a

solution to the issues regarding the facility.

Analysis and evaluation of the profile and policies of landfill will be

conducted as the study aimed for its sustainability. In this case, we can

assess preventive measures before it reduces its life span. A formulation

of validated strategic plan will be used for the improvement of the facility.

City of San Fernando La Union Engineered Sanitary Landfill was

chosen as the venue of the study because of the landfill operation that will

reduce the risk of wastes. Sustainability of the Engineered Sanitary

Landfill is required in this case, segregation of wastes every household

does not exist before its transportation to the landfill. Therefore,

Engineered Sanitary Landfill within the City were the locale of the study.
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Figure 1. The Research paradigm

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

A. Analysis and
assessment of the:
1.What is the profile of Validated
Sanitary Landfill in 1. Profile of Sanitary strategic plan
Mameltac, City Of San Landfill in Mameltac, for the
Fernando with respect City of San Fernando segregation
to: with respect to: and control the
a. Design waste
a. Design
b. Land Area management of
b. Land Area
c. Schedule of the landfill.
c. Schedule of
Collection
Collection
d. Type of
d. Type of
Management
Management
e. Present
e. Present
condition
condition
2.Policies governing the 2. Policies governing the
Sanitary Landfill in Sanitary Landfill in
Mameltac, City of San Mameltac, City of San
Fernando Fernando Reduced waste
a. Maintenance that Engineered
a. Maintenance Sanitary
b. Waste
b. Waste
Management Landfill will
Management
3. Problems encountered accommodate.
3.Problems in the Sustainability of
encountered in the Engineered Sanitary
Sustainability of Landfill
Engineered Sanitary a. Maintenance
Landfill b. Waste Management
a. Maintenance B. Formulation of
b. Waste Validated Strategic plan
Management for the Control of waste
management.
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Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to assess the sustainability of Engineered sanitary

landfill as a basis in controlling and reducing wastes up to the design life

of the landfill.

Specifically, the research sought answers to the following:

1. What is the profile of the engineered sanitary landfill in terms of:

a. Design

b. Land Area

c. Material or Waste Collection

d. Type of Management

e. Present condition

2. What are the policies governing the Sanitary Landfill in Mameltac,

City of San Fernando in terms of:

a. Maintenance

b. Waste Management

3. What are the problems encountered in the sustainability of the

engineered sanitary landfill in terms of:

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a. Maintenance

b. Waste Management

4. What strategic plan can be provided to reduce waste and extend the

design life of sanitary landfill?

Assumptions

The study was guided by the following assumptions:

1. The engineered sanitary landfills have varied forms and schemes in

terms of their design, land Area, material or waste collection, type

of Management and present condition.

2. The existing policies were not followed in terms of management and

maintenance.

3. The sanitary landfill has problems with regards their waste

management and maintenance.

4. A validated strategic plan can be crafted the sustainability of

engineered sanitary landfill.

5. The landfill will close permanently after it reached its design volume.
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Importance of the Study

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources can use this

research as a basis in maintaining the quality and cleanliness of the

resources as well as protecting the environment from contamination

because un sustained sanitary landfill

For the Civil Engineering Profession, the result of this study can be

used to enhance their designing skills and to utilize the green engineering

concepts.

The Civil Engineering Discipline can use the results of the study as

a resource in enriching the various subjects where green engineering and

proper waste disposal are being discussed.

To the Local Government Unit, this study is used for future

implementations of ordinances protecting environment and our resources

from contamination.

The researchers would be gaining additional knowledge and

experiences from the study that can be used in their future professions.

Future researchers may use this study as a reference for the conduct

of related researches.
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Definition of Terms

The following are defined according to how they were used in the

study:

Capacity. This refers to the design life of engineered sanitary

landfill.

Cells. This refers to the location where the trash is stored within the

landfill.

Engineered Sanitary Landfill. This refers to the engineered facility

that separates and confines waste.

Leachate. This refers to the collected water that contains

contamination substances.

Location. This refers to the distance of the landfill from the

residence.

Maintenance. This refers to the process of maintaining or keeping

the engineered sanitary landfill in proper condition to avoid degradation of

its design life.

Profile of Sanitary Landfill. This refers to the components of the

sanitary landfill that serves to describe the said structure.

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Problems Encountered. These refer to the difficulties of the

sanitary landfill due to the uncontrolled load of wastes per week.

Riverbend. This refers to a regional facility that provides safe

disposal of waste.

Soil cover. This refers to the seals at the top of the landfill.

Storm water drainage system. This refers the engineered sanitary

landfill that collects rain water that falls on the landfill.

Sustainability. This refers to the ability of engineered sanitary

landfill to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

landfill that collects rain water that falls on the landfill.

Waste. This refers to the isolated waste.

Waste management. This refers to the proper way of treating solid

wastes from its collection and transportation before disposal of waste in to

the engineered sanitary landfill.

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CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

Sustainable landfilling is a key-issue in modern waste management

concepts. The concept can, however, be understood as a landfill where the

waste mass is already in a stable state, meaning the remaining turnover

processes are low and emission release is below the local environmentally

acceptable level or it can be controlled by simple and natural measures,

such as methane oxidation in landfill covers.

(https://waste-management-world.com)

Standing on a gravel landing on the Riverbend Landfill near

McMinnville last week, Jackie Lang of Waste Management explained her

company’s plans to make room for more trash. “We’re at the point now

where we’re almost full at the top,” she said. “We’re 5 to 6 feet from our

top right here.”

“We are always shooting for a high recovery percentage,” said Bob

Schwarz of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “But if people

generate twice as much waste and recycle half of it they’re still where

they started.”

Landfill expansions aren’t all that unusual in Oregon, Schwarz said,

but the one proposed for Riverbend has been pretty controversial.
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McPhillips says the landfill is poorly designed and poorly situated

near the Yamhill River and in the middle of otherwise idyllic Willamette

Valley farms – including his own, which has been in his family for

150 years.

“It’s 135 feet of towering garbage in the middle of Oregon’s signature

wine country,” McPhillips said. “If this landfill gets expanded, it’s over.

There’s no reason for me to keep farming.”

Under a contract with Metro, Waste Management can take the garbage to

another landfill in Arlington, about 140 miles east of Portland, after

Riverbend fills up. But it’s a much longer haul from Portland.

“If Riverbend were to close, it would mean we would have to truck waste

hundreds of miles away, which means higher transportation costs and

greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lang, the communications director for

Waste Management.

It would mean a loss of about of $1 million in revenue for Yamhill County,

which now earns $2.60 for every ton of garbage hauled into Riverbend from

outside the county. And, according to Metro, it would mean garbage bill

hikes of $1.40 to $1.80 a month for ratepayers in Washington County and

northwest Clackamas County. But critics of the landfill say it would also
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mean less odor, less risk of environmental damage, and fewer economic

impacts to nearby farms. (https://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope)

World Bank and NEMA initiated a project under Environmental

Management and Capacity Building Project to provide Municipal Solid

Waste Compositing Plants (MSWCP) in 2005 for which nine districts

benefited i.e., Mukono, Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Lira, Mbarara, Kasese,

Kabale, and FortPortal. Using lessons learnt from the first project, in 2012,

other composting plants were constructed in Hoima, Masindi, and Arua

and these were commissioned with skip lifters, (garbage trucks) skips

(garbage containers) and wheel loaders after training of municipal staff.

(NEMA, 2014).The aim was to enhance high quality solid waste

management in all municipalities in Uganda through best practices as well

as sustainability of environment. (http://www.iosrjournals.org)

A debate that never seems to go away is over recycling, especially

as it means councils are changing the way they collect domestic waste.

Research by The Sunday Telegraph in August showed that three out of

five councils now operate fortnightly rounds, affecting more than 50 per

cent of all households, a consequence of councils boosting their recycling

schemes to divert rubbish from landfill. Recycling campaigners bemoan

the fact that traditionalists are hung up on the idea of defending the

weekly rubbish collection instead of focusing on the real issues.

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For the Campaign for Real Recycling, the issue is that by allowing

councils to collect recycling all mixed up – 'commingling’ in the jargon –

Britain is breaking EU law. Andy Moore, the group’s co-ordinator, says it

is only when you collect materials separately that they have real value,

which may explain why so much of our recycling is exported to China or

the Philippines and why better-quality recyclate must be imported.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/businessandecology/re

cycling
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CHAPTER III

METHODS AND PROCEDURE

This chapter describes the method and procedures that were

adopted in the study. This chapter presents the research design and

methodology, population, locale, data gathering tools, data categorization,

validity, and treatment of data.

Research Design

The study used the descriptive method of research. Descriptive

research is also known as statistical research, describes data and

characteristics about population or condition being studied. Descriptive

design as a method that involves the collection of data to test hypothesis

or to answer questions regarding the present status of a certain study by

Calmorin (2007).

Quantitative research approach was used in the study. The analysis

made was a comparison of the projected values through the uses of

recorded data from the past to the values that have obtained.
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Sources of Data

Locale, Population, Duration of the Study

The study covered the Engineered Sanitary Landfill of San Fernando

City, La Union which consist of two cells, the north and the south. San

Fernando City is the only place in La Union that has Engineered Sanitary

Land fill. Solid Waste Management Office of the General Services Office

(GSO-SFC), City Engineering Office, City Planning Department Office and

City Environment, City Environment and Natural Resources Office

(CENRO), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and other

government agencies with connection to our study. Materials, documents

and information were obtained from those agencies. The government

agencies that operates and in charge of landfill are only agencies where we

are obtaining all the data and information we need in the study.

Instrumentation and Data Collection

Obtained data are from the records of City Environment and Natural

Resources Office (CENRO), Environment Management Bureau (EMB) and

other related government agencies.

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Tools for Data Analysis

The quantitative data gathered for the facilities of the landfill were

graph and summarized accordingly. The data and information given to us

by the government agencies will be compared to the data and information

that are projected. The gathered data were analyzed, observed and

evaluated to have view on the whole scenario of the problem.

In this research, Statistical hypothesis testing was used to

determine the significant difference between the projected values and the

values that obtained.

The Output

The output of this research is a validated strategic plan for the

segregation and control the waste management of the landfill.

The output of this study is based on the data and information that

will be given by the government agencies.

Ethical Consideration

All the data gathered on this research were remain

confidential. The researchers gathered information truthfully and

objectively.