Engineering properties and dynamic shear behaviors of low kitchen waste in China

Waste sorting policies have been applied in China for several years, substantially decreasing the kitchen waste content in the newly landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW). In this study, the engineering properties and dynamic shear behaviors of low kitchen waste (LKW) samples taken from eastern China were investigated. The engineering properties did not change significantly with depth, and the ranges were 5.53 kN/m 3 to 9.64 kN/m 3 for unit weight, 42.27% to 67.94% for moisture content, 0.195 to 0.256 for compression index, 1.2 MPa to 30.6 MPa for shear modulus, and 3.41% to 28.72% for damping ratio, respectively. Due to the presence of abundant plastic and fibrous material, a small “transition area” may occur when the shear rate was low. The increase in soil-like material content was beneficial for reducing the compressibility of LKW and increasing its stiffness. Larger shear displacement and lower shear frequency were beneficial for the rearrangement of LKW components, thereby enhancing the linkage between components and increasing the shear strength. The normalized dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio of LKW were overall lower than those of the reported MSWs in the literature, but the damping ratio significantly increased with increasing shear displacement amplitude and gradually exceeded the literature records. It is recommended to add an appropriate amount of soil-like material when backfilling LKW to ensure the dynamic stability of the landfill. This study will contribute to a better understanding of the engineering properties and dynamic shear behaviors of LKW and is beneficial to the design and safe operation of landfills in China. • Engineering properties and dynamic shear behaviors of LKW were investigated. • The engineering properties did not change significantly with depth. • A small transition area may occur when the shear rate is low. • The G d / G max and D of LKW were overall lower than the reported data. • Adding a proper amount of soil-like material is beneficial to landfill stability.