Recognition of the efficiency of the structure of an active municipal waste landfill based on the quality of the water environment

A landfill site is an engineered facility intended for depositing waste. Regardless of their type, such facilities pose a potential threat to the water and ground environment, as well as to human health and life, because leachate water in contact with groundwater deteriorates their quality. To prevent such a phenomenon, it is necessary to periodically test the composition of water within the landfill. The aim of the research was to analyse the efficiency of the structure of an operated municipal waste landfill based on the analysis of the composition of leachate and groundwater, including the operation and post-operation phases. Based on the physico-chemical analysis of leachate and groundwater in 2016-2020, increased average TOC (Total Organic Carbon) values exceeding 10 mg·dm-3 were shown. Although the concentrations of other indicators, including heavy metals, were within permissible limits, the test results showed limited efficiency of the barrier protecting against the impact of stored waste on the aquatic environment. For this reason, there was a need to expand the scope of research, in particular to include toxicity tests of both leachates and water.