Many small communities dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW) by landfilling. Municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) accept household waste, which is solid waste that typically includes garbage, trash, and sanitary waste from septic tanks. Household waste can originate from a number of sources, such as single and multiple residences, hotels and motels, campgrounds, picnic grounds, and recreation areas.

The decomposition of MSW in landfills can generate explosive gases, such as methane. Owners and operators of MSWLFs must comply with applicable federal operation standards that are designed to control emissions from MSWLFs. Until recently, opening burning of wastes was a common practice at many landfills. The federal operation standards for MSWLFs effectively prohibit open burning today.

Do the MSWLF Regulations Apply to Your Community?

If your government owns or operates a MSWLF that receives waste on or after October 9, 1993, these regulations apply. Owners and operators of both existing and new MSWLFs are affected by the federal regulations. If, however, your landfill stopped receiving municipal solid waste as of October 9, 1991, then it is not covered by these federal requirements.

Actions Your Community Should Be Taking

Owners and operators of MSWLFs must comply with federal regulations aimed at controlling methane gas emissions and restricting the open burning of wastes.

Methane Gas Emissions

Owners and operators of MSWLFs must establish a methane monitoring program to check for methane gas emissions. Monitoring must be conducted at least once every three months. If methane emission limits have been exceeded, the state or area official responsible for implementing the MSWLF requirements must be notified, and steps must be taken to protect human health and the environment. For example, a remediation plan for methane gas releases must be implemented within 60 days.

Owners and operators of MSWLFs must record and retain information on gas monitoring results and any remediation plan, if one was necessary. This information must be retained in a facility's operating record.

Open Burning

In general, owners and operators of MSWLFs are prohibited from openly burning waste. Certain exceptions to this general prohibition have been provided, however, such as the infrequent burning of agricultural waste, silvicultural waste, land-clearing debris, diseased trees, or debris from emergency clean-up operations.

State Requirements

In addition to the federal requirements, owners and operators are also subject to applicable state requirements for MSWLFs. For instance, MSWLFs must comply with applicable air emission requirements of state implementation plans (SIPs). SIPs contain strategies and regulations that are used by a state to meet federal air quality standards. SIPs may also contain local air authority regulations and requirements to control pollutants that are harmful to human health and welfare. Compliance with SIPs helps to ensure that federal air quality standards will be met.

Owners and operators of MSWLFs should work with their respective state authorities to determine if the state has any additional requirements.

Timetable

The requirements for MSWLFs are effective on October 9, 1993. Contact your state authority regarding the effective dates for specific requirements in your state.

Additional Information

The regulations for municipal solid waste landfills can be found in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations at part 258.

To obtain the current lists of all state solid and hazardous waste management officials, contact the RCRA Hotline.
Telephone: 800/424-9346.