Landfills are designed to manage waste while protecting the environment from possible contaminants present in the waste it contains.  Despite well-engineered controls, landfills pose pollution risks to the environment.  The main environmental concerns for landfills are leachate and Landfill Gas (LFG).  Leachate is formed when rainwater filters through waste in the landfill, drawing out chemicals or hazardous constituents from the facility into the surrounding groundwater.  Microbial breakdown of landfill waste produces a gaseous byproduct of which, methane is the main concern.  The combination of methane and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) coming from the waste itself are called Landfill Gas (LFG). The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) requires landfill facilities to monitor for environmental pollution threats originating from the facility.  Testing requirements can cover more than 200 constituents including LFG, VOCs and metals.  Methods include Toxicity Characterization Leaching Procedure (TCLP), Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP), and Deionized Water Waste Extraction Test (Di-Wet).

To prevent environmental impact from landfills, RCRA requires nearly all landfill owners to perform detection and assessment monitoring to ensure leachate containing hazardous constituents does not migrating into surrounding groundwater.  Detection systems are designed to monitor the area immediately surrounding a landfill facility on a periodic basis to detect any contaminant release into the environment.  If any constituent is detected above established background levels during detection monitoring, the facility must begin a more rigorous assessment monitoring program to assess the extent and migration of any contaminants detected.  Once a full assessment has been made, a corrective action plan will be implemented to prevent further release to the surrounding environment. AAI provides site specific testing in support of waste management compliance programs.