ABOUT
The Problem
Landfill mining is historically not cost-effective because:
Previous composition studies have insufficiently quantified the true metal content in excavated landfill material
The underrepresented quantity of metals combined with the limited purity of recyclables from mechanical sorting procedures suggest that landfill reclamation is economic only in specific cases
Past landfill mining has targeted smaller waste sites, hindering economic scalability
Our Goal
Make landfill mining a cost-effective landfill management alternative by:
Quantifying the true metal content of landfill material
Employing alternative material sorting procedures that purify recyclable material and improve recoveries
Mining bigger landfills
Methods Used to Achieve Our Goal
Site Selection: Identify landfills suitable for mining (age, composition, and volume)
System Conditions: Identify policy and market conditions in favor of landfill mining
Project Implementation: Identify technologies and processes capable of large-scale material processing
So What Are We?
We are a landfill evaluation contractor that identifies sites and system conditions suitable for cost-effective landfill management alternatives.
We have developed a sampling procedure that deploys a modular processing plant to sample drilled landfill material from gas extraction well borings at prospective sites.
Our unique sampling method collects metal in its native form from drilled landfill material. The sorted metal then undergoes analysis to determine % metal compositions.
Results
Our process informs landfill owners of the true metal value of their landfill to help determine if they can economically extract metals and locally-concerned commodities (i.e., plastics, aggregates, soils, organics, and residues).
Landfill material extraction frees up space for more waste, allowing existing landfill sites and waste transport infrastructure to remain operational.
Sustainability
Our efforts will lessen the economic, environmental, and time-value cost of mining mountains for metals as we divert the destruction of virgin land.
By reintegrating valuable materials into the commodity cycle, we aim to engage landfill operators in the Circular Economy.
This involvement will focus on sustainable landfill management solutions, leading to significant environmental, decarbonization, and economic benefits.
By tapping into landfills as a source of raw materials, we can significantly reduce the need for fresh resource extraction, thereby contributing to a more sustainable industrial ecosystem.