Daily Operations
The "area method" of landfilling is used at the Austin Community Landfill. Refuse is unloaded directly at the toe or at the top of the inclined working face and into daily disposal areas. Each disposal area contains the refuse delivered to the site on that day. The incoming refuse is unloaded within the active landfilling area, and spread in lifts of two feet thick, using bulldozers and trash compaction equipment. Waste is then compacted prior to the next lift being placed.
The waste is covered at the end of each day to minimize odors.
Waste placement in disposal areas is in accordance with a predetermined fill sequence plan. Under the plan, the working face is minimized to reduce the generation of leachate to the extent practical. Construction of the final cover begins once areas have reached their maximum grades.
Equipment
The Austin Community Landfill operates a fleet of Tier 4 and Tier 3 equipment. The newer Tier 4 equipment emission standards introduce substantial reductions of the main pollutants in emissions: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Emission limits are particularly focused on curbing airborne NOx and PM. These standards represent the biggest step toward reaching near-zero emissions from heavy equipment.
Scale House
Located on the entrance road is a computerized weigh station. Trucks are weighed in and out of the site utilizing three 70-foot, 100-ton capacity scales.
Access to the landfill is controlled through security fences, security gates, video cameras, and operating hours.
Traffic entering and exiting the weigh station is videotaped on a closed-circuit television and monitored at the scale house facility. Speed limit signs, no smoking signs and signs directing traffic to the working face are posted along the access road. During non-business hours, the gate is locked and the facility is monitored by electronic surveillance.
Landscaping
As part of landfill operations, a final cover of grasses in planted on top of closed cells for erosion control. Waste Management has landscaped the front entrance and property along Giles Road with native trees, flowering shrubs and native grasses to enhance the area.