Client: Energy Corporation
Project Location: Northern Georgia
Project Cost: $140,000
Remtech Engineers was retained by a major industry to conduct a confidential investigation to determine the waste management practices of municipal and industrial waste generators contributing to a major Georgia County landfill. Waste recycling, landfilling, and on-site treatment operations were investigated and evaluated.
Total waste mass discards, hazardous waste, and CERCLA hazardous substance waste composition were determined over a 25-year period. Discards into sanitary landfills were correlated to each generating source to estimate hazardous substance loadings.
Remtech Engineers conducted Freedom of Information (FOI) searches collecting over 20,000 pages of information on government and industrial waste generators. A technical data base search was conducted that involved identifying and reviewing over 100 technical publications on waste-to-energy, waste minimization, resource recovery, solid waste management practices, household hazardous wastes, small quantity generators, and environmental impacts of sanitary landfills on Georgia groundwater quality.
Current research being conducted by archaeologists at the University of Arizona's Garbage Project was reviewed. Actual landfill waste composition information was obtained by exhuming existing landfills and characterizing wastes. This information provided correction factors for other waste generation projection models and survey methods. Several professional consultants were interviewed and their publications reviewed.
Municipal waste generation rates were projected from landfill permits, the Franklin Report, landfill operator interviews, industrial operations personnel, transportation firms, and other historical archives.
Industrial waste generation rates were calculated employing Standard Industrial Classification Codes and waste generation factors based on the number of employees. Empirical corrections were obtained from industrial permits and other information obtained through the FOI and technical publication review process.
Previously conducted groundwater studies were correlated to generator source processes and waste stream compositions as a means of verifying and quantifying each generator's landfill contribution.
Additional waste characterization information was synthesized for each waste stream and generation source for over 25 industrial processes. Total waste discards, hazardous waste (RCRA definition), and hazardous substances (CERCLA definition) were determined for over 30 entities over a 25-year period. Percent contributions were determined for each generator.
