Advantages and disadvantages of on-site versus off-site landfill leachate treatment

If you have to choose between on-site and off-site landfill leachate treatment at a sewage plant (municipal wastewater treatment) or even a commercially operated industrial effluent treatment plant, which should you choose?

Alright, here we go! On the one hand, there is Pro; In favor:

The main point in favor of on-site versus off-site landfill leachate treatment is that it is more efficient to treat leachate in a dedicated treatment plant that has been specifically designed for the high strength of a modern landfill leachate.

His second point of support will be that the investment profile is more akin to a landfill business where a leachate plant built early can be paid for with revenue (gateway fee revenue and landfill gas revenue) generated while actively filling the landfill. If someone else treats the leachate off-site, it will be per cubic meter treated for 30 to 50 years or more. But, after the site has been shut down, revenue drops, and soon there is only treatment money to pay for it. Therefore, it is much better to invest in an on-site treatment plant asset that will be in use for many years after the initial investment, so that running costs only have to be paid once the landfill closes and landfill revenue dries up to pay for the leachate plant.

The third positive point is that the owner of an on-site leachate treatment plant has a much safer disposal route for their leachate than an optional off-site treatment plant, because the third-party service provider can stop accepting the discharge at short notice.

A fourth great benefit is that it is more efficient to treat leachate treatment in a dedicated plant optimized for that purpose, than in a sewage or industrial effluent plant, where both tend to be better suited to treat more dilute or lower concentration effluents.

Finally, the fifth support point will be ((6))).

And conversely, for balance, the Side, against:

The first point of con for on-site versus off-site leachate treatment will be that site owners and environmental regulators (EA, EPA, Water Purification Board, River Management Authority), etc., often worry that an on-site leachate treatment plant could fail and discharge polluting water into a river or stream. Although, this can be avoided with good design and training of site personnel in the operation of the leachate treatment plant.

The second con will be that it may be difficult for the landfill company to finance the capital cost of an on-site leachate treatment plant (although a gate fee increase to pay for it might be possible).

The third point against will be the lack of space, which is unlikely in a large landfill.

The fourth con will be the cost of bringing in a power supply for the leachate treatment plant, although a supply line and electricity are usually already available from on-site landfill gas (power from waste) generators.

Fifth and final point, the last point against it will be the lack of advance planning of the landfill to make the right decisions to save money on an on-site leachate treatment plant over a long term period.

Now both sides have been heard and the Pros and Cons are stacked up, for and against.

So who won? What could we conclude? Is on-site landfill leachate treatment more good than bad? or more bad than good?

We have a “Yes” answer to both questions! leachate treatment at on-site versus off-site landfills is a decision that will vary depending on the circumstances of each landfill, and the debate is a mix of good and bad… You, dear reader, will need to determine which side, good or bad, outweighs the other for your site.