Revisions to the Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills To Address Advances in Liquids Management

Résumé

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering whether to propose revisions to the criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSWLFs) to support advances in effective liquids management. To this end, EPA is seeking information relating to: Removing the prohibition on the addition of bulk liquids to MSWLFs; defining a particular class of MSWLF units (i.e., bioreactor landfill units) to operate with increased moisture content; and establishing revised MSWLF criteria to address additional technical considerations associated with liquids management, including waste stability, subsurface reactions, and other important safety and operational issues. This Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) also discusses the results of related research conducted to date, describes EPA's preliminary analysis of that research, and seeks additional scientific studies, data, and public input on issues that may inform a future proposed rule. The EPA is not reopening any existing regulations through this ANPRM.