Landfill Gas Management
Causes of the odours:
Landfill gases are always passively venting from the landfill. Usually the prevailing westerly winds blow them towards the Atlantic Ocean, or higher wind speeds break up or disperse the odours. Odour problems from Robin Hood Bay are worsened when there is a combination of low ceiling, low atmospheric pressure, low easterly wind speed and damp conditions. These conditions allow more landfill gas to escape from the landfill and disperse towards populated areas of the east end of the City.
What Robin Hood Bay has done to mitigate the odour problems:
Over half of the landfill is capped by an impermeable liner which traps the gases from passively venting to the atmosphere. An extraction system diverts landfill gas to a flare where it is burned off. Over the past several years, several improvements have been made in an effort to mitigate landfill odours. These include changing the direction of the landfill working face, improving the covering of garbage, banning the disposal of liquids, capping more of the inactive sections of the landfill to trap the gas, and installing more extraction wells.
Between 2017 and 2018, nine additional landfill gas collection wells were installed on a portion of the landfill where it was identified that gases were venting from the landfill. To maximize efficiency of these new wells, approximately ten additional hectares of capping material is currently being installed. This project will significantly increase the amount of landfill gas that can be captured and destroyed.
We are continuing to work on improving the landfill and evaluating further changes that are necessary.