Protecting the soil is crucial for a sustainable future through modern designed landfill sites.
Soil health key for landfill sites
Soil is the foundation of life. It supports our food systems; filters water and sustains ecosystems.
Yet, one of the most misunderstood relationships is the role waste management plays in protecting soil systems.
Because of this, landfills – which are often built in or on soil – are often viewed as inherently harmful and are associated with pollution, causing unpleasant smells and environmental harm.
This perception is largely rooted in outdated practices that no longer reflect the realities of modern, regulated waste management.
The Challenge
The reality is that waste generation remains an unavoidable and growing challenge.
Estimates indicate that South Africa generates over 122 million tonnes of waste every year, and most of this end up in landfills.
While recycling efforts are growing, much of the waste cannot be fully recovered.
Without properly managed landfill infrastructure, waste would likely end up in illegal dumping sites or uncontrolled environments – which could pose far greater consequences for soil, water and public health.
Landfill Site Design
The critical consideration is not whether landfills should exist, but how they are designed, managed and integrated into broader waste management systems.
In the past, waste disposal practices were often unregulated, with little to no consideration for environmental impact.
Many of these sites still exist today, posing risk to the environment at large. Modern engineered landfills are fundamentally different, designed as controlled and regulated environmental management systems.
These are regulated under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (2008), and also supported by the National Norms and Standards for Disposal of Waste to Landfill. These frameworks enforce detailed waste classification, strict containment, early detection measures as well as ongoing environmental monitoring.
Harmful contaminants
Modern landfill systems are designed to capture and contain leachate – the liquid that forms when water filters through waste, carrying harmful contaminants.
This leachate is continuously collected and treated at specialised facilities such as Interwaste’s Leachate and Effluent treatment plant, where advanced filtration and treatment processes enable the safe discharge or reuse of the water component.
This ensures that leachate is effectively managed as a controlled and carefully managed component of responsible landfill operations. In addition, gas emissions are managed, and stormwater systems ensure that clean and contaminated water are kept separate.
These are not optional features; they are compulsory components of compliant landfill design.
The Concerns
Concerns about leachate contaminating soil and groundwater are mitigated by engineering design and in well-managed facilities, this risk is anticipated, controlled and continuously monitored.
Ongoing monitoring remains critical to ensuring these systems continue to perform as designed. In fact, modern landfill management is increasingly defined by data.
Groundwater and surface water quality, air emissions, soil conditions and integrity of liners and engineered control measures are regularly monitored, with strict reporting requirements in place. This enables operators to identify potential issues proactively.
Regulations
South Africa’s regulatory framework is aligned with international best practice and is underpinned by the constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to health and wellbeing.
However, the effectiveness of these regulations depends on consistent and accountable implementation. Where landfill sites fall short of compliance, the risks become clear, and it reinforces a critical point: the risk lies not in the existence of landfills, but how they are managed.
The location of landfills is another major consideration, and in most cases, communities are concerned about having a landfill nearby.
While community concerns are valid based on incidents that predate the current regulated environment, well-managed landfill sites can and do operate alongside communities with little disruption and even enhancement in some cases.
Careful planning, including buffer zones, air quality management, traffic control, and transparent community engagement, is essential.
It is also worth considering the alternative. Without compliant landfill infrastructure, waste does not disappear, it often ends up in illegal dumping sites or unregulated areas, which puts more strain on soil systems, water resources, oceans and local municipalities.
Investing in Waste Management
Responsible waste management requires significant and ongoing investment.
Engineered landfills require high financial investment to cater for advanced containment systems and continuous environmental monitoring.
This investment reflects the level of care required to protect soil as a living, finite and critical resource. Cutting corners may seem cheaper in the short term, but the long-term environmental and social costs are far higher.
As pressure on landfill capacity continues to grow in South Africa, the need for new, compliant facilities is becoming more urgent.
Revised Waste Management System
Shoba Govender of Interwaste says “the conversation must move beyond whether landfills should exist, and focus on how they integrated into a broader, interconnected waste management system”.
“Soil is an environmental asset that underpins ecosystems, water systems and human health. It is a critical resource that supports life in ways we often take for granted”. Govender says.
Protecting soil means confronting the realities of waste and investing in solutions that are both practical and responsible.
Engineered landfills, when compliantly managed, and integrated into a broader system and community, remain a critical component of responsible and sustainable waste management.
Also Read: Emissions you don’t see: Waste as a climate issue in South Africa
