Co-authored by Hannah Bledsoe & Charlie Nowak

It is no secret that airspace in North America is a limited resource, and unfortunately, there is no single, simple solution to the problem. However, there are practices that can significantly slow the rate at which landfills are filling up. In this article, you will find the necessary equipment, practices, and results of Smart Landfilling.

What is Smart Landfilling?

Smart Landfilling is the practice of shredding waste before compacting it. This reduces and condenses waste volume, especially bulky waste like C&D or mattresses. The shredded waste compacts more easily, resulting in higher compaction density rates, airspace savings, and more stable landfill cells. Shredding waste before it is pushed to the working face provides 25-45% additional compaction based on information provided by landfills that are utilizing “Smart Landfilling”.

How to Practice Smart Landfilling

Setting up an efficient landfill workflow is the first step. Trucks enter from the scale house and should be directed to a sorting and recycling area where waste may be diverted or sent to the working face, depending on the waste they are bringing in. A shredder should be positioned to the side of the working face so waste can be pushed to the shredder material handler. As waste is shredded, it should be pushed to the working face to be compacted. It is important to keep this area tight to reduce wasted fuel from pushing materials long distances, while still ensuring enough space to work safely and avoid traffic congestion.

The working face should be designed around the landfill’s daily tonnage, and a checkerboard design should be utilized. This saves airspace and operational costs by minimizing daily cover and lowering labor, fuel, hauling, and material costs. The minimum amount of daily cover should always be used, especially when covering with dirt. Using alternative daily cover (ADC) such as shredded materials (tires, wood, aggregate, fines, auto fluff), tarps, foam, spray-on slurry, green waste, or sludge is a more efficient practice. The waste will be compacted into the cell regardless. Repurposing it as daily cover eliminates soil and saves airspace.

Diverting materials consists of identifying and sorting the waste that is being brought in, then recycling or reusing the materials instead of compacting them. There is profit in removing materials such as ferrous metals and selling them to scrap facilities. Cost savings can also be found in removing materials such as tires, wood, green waste, cardboard, etc., and reusing the materials internally for ADC, leachate control, road construction, dust suppression, erosion control, and more. Airspace savings from diverting waste extend the landfill’s lifespan and long-term profitability.

Utilizing efficient equipment also plays an important role in Smart Landfilling. A shredder with versatile shredding capabilities will be the most effective option, especially if your landfill processes a wide variety of materials. Selecting a landfill compactor with superior compaction performance can dramatically increase airspace savings. Some models deliver 10% + higher compaction rates than others on the market, which can help offset the cost of the machine. Depending on the size of the site, dozers may be used to push waste to and from the shredder, or a compactor with strong pushing power could be utilized. Separating equipment, such as trommel screens or recycling screens, can create cleaner waste streams and assist in diverting waste for additional airspace savings. Lastly, excavators, water trucks, track loaders, scrapers, articulated trucks, etc., will be needed based on operation size and operational preference.

Salem County Gets a 32% Better Compaction Rate by Smart Landfilling

Smart Landfilling is not a theory, but a proven practice supported by real data. Salem County Improvement Authority (SCIA) located in Alloway, New Jersey participated in a “Smart Landfilling” study performed and analyzed by the Arm Group LLC in the fall of 2025. Their facility accepts approximately 100,000 tons of waste per year. The study was conducted for two weeks. The first week, all waste was compacted at the working face with a Tana H555 landfill compactor. The second week, C&D and other bulky waste streams were shredded with a Tana 440DT Shark shredder before being placed on the working face and compacted. The working face was surveyed at the beginning of week one, at the end of week one, and at the end of week two. The compactor also utilized a Carlson GPS system to track compaction density to compare against the survey data. At the end of the waste density study, it was concluded that shredding the waste before compaction resulted in a 32% better compaction rate compared to compacting all waste without shredding. Smart Landfilling at SCIA increased the waste density, leading to a more efficient utilization of the landfill’s airspace.

For additional information on the Arm Group LLC, visit: www.armgroup.net.

The crisis of declining airspace will not be solved overnight. But, as we move towards a permanent solution, Smart Landfilling can be applied as a more sustainable, cost-efficient practice to slow the problem. Shredding waste before compacting it, along with diverting materials away from the working face, results in more manageable particle sizes, higher compaction density rates, and more uniform, stable landfill layers. All of which significantly saves airspace and strengthens your bottom line.

Charlie Nowak has over five (5) decades of experience building, running, and closing landfills and transfer stations in North America. He currently works as a sales and product specialist for Humdinger Equipment. Humdinger Equipment is the North American distributor for the Tana waste products. Charlie has extensive experience in all phases of solid waste. He began working in the waste industry as a teenager and has worn many hats, including operating equipment, surveying landfills, water sampling, engineering landfill design, managing landfill operations and transfer stations, and consulting for hauling and landfills. He can be reached at 806-473-7371 or by email Cnowak@humdingerequipment.com.

Co-authored by Hannah Bledsoe & Charlie Nowak

Safety is a Priority

Design

Design your working face around the average daily tonnage and plan ahead with engineering for a checkerboard design. The working face is the designated area where waste is unloaded. The checkerboard design minimizes the use of daily cover. At the end of each working day, daily cover is put down over the designated section (aka, the working face). The next working day, the neighboring section becomes the working face. This centralizes operations and this method:

• Saves labor time and hauling time (daily cover must be hauled to the working face to be spread)
• Labor, fuel, and material costs
• Less daily cover saves airspace

While there are many types of equipment used at the landfill such as track loaders, water trucks, scrapers or articulated trucks, and backhoe integrated tool carriers, there are three in particular that are used on a constant basis: dozers, landfill compactors, and excavators.

Landfills can vary in many ways so it is important to choose the right equipment for your landfill. By choosing the correct equipment, you will increase your landfill’s efficiency and profits. Things to consider when choosing equipment include:

• The volume of material your landfill brings in (less volume landfills may use a compactor and track loader only whereas a larger operation may use all of the pieces of equipment listed above)
• The type of material your landfill brings in (a C&D landfill may require heavy-duty tracks on equipment such as dozers to move through tougher debris like concrete VS MSW)
• Whether your landfill has a tipper (small landfills without a tipper would not need to invest in a long-reaching excavator)

Dozers

With low operating cost to spread material, dozers push material to compactors in the landfill. They are also efficient in helping to build side slopes. When using a dozer in your operations, choose one based on your average daily traffic. In addition, choose a blade design best suited for your needs and consider low ground pressure design.

Landfill Compactors

As the most important piece of equipment on the working face, landfill compactors maximize the density of waste and optimize the life of each cell. Choose a machine that is the proper weight class for your site. Make sure to spread waste at the proper lift depending on weight class:

• 60,000 lb class – 12 inches maximum
• 90,000 lb class – 18 inches maximum
• 120,000 lb class – 18-24 inches maximum

The greater the PSI, the greater the compaction. Choosing a compactor that achieves the greatest pressure on the trash will give the best density and will use the least amount of airspace.

It is also important to have proper ground clearance to avoid fire hazards and decreased compaction since three to four passes are best for compaction density. In order to help with maximum compaction, keep cleats clean.

Excavators

This type of equipment is best for moving waste from one point to another. They are especially efficient in working with stuck loads on the transfer trailer and working with load articulating trucks. We suggested that they have at least a 40-foot reach and consider using an extreme service bucket. There are center bars in the trailers. Waste will get caught on these bars that need to be removed while the trailer is in the tipper dumping the trash. An excavator with a longer reach will be beneficial in removing waste from these center bars. However, if a landfill does not have a tipper(s) then the longer reaching excavator investment may not be necessary.

Cover Material

End Results

Charlie Nowak is a North American TANA Sales Representative at Humdinger Equipment. Humdinger Equipment is the North American distributor for Tana. Charlie has extensive experience in all phases of solid waste. He began working in the waste industry as a teenager and has worn many hats, including operating equipment, surveying landfills, water sampling, engineering landfill design, managing landfill operations and transfer stations, and consulting for hauling and landfills. He can be reached at 806-473-7371 or e-mail Cnowak@humdingerequipment.com.

Co-authored by Hannah Bledsoe, Olli Honkamäki, & Charlie Nowak

Airspace can be considered the most important aspect of the landfill. The less material put into your landfill the greater your airspace savings are. In this article, you will learn sustainable practices to conserve airspace. This conservation will lengthen the life of your landfill and boost your bottom line.

Materials to Divert, Recycle, or Re-use

Valuable materials should be separated and diverted from the waste steam before they go to the working face. These recovered materials may be sent off to other facilities to be recycled or internally repurposed.

Materials:

Scrap Metal Recycling

• Sell to Recycling Facilities
  • Ferrous metals such as steel or iron can be sold for profit.
  • High-value non-ferrous metals such as materials like aluminum, copper, and brass fetch higher returns.

Tires

• Operational Uses
  • Alternate Daily Cover (ADC): Shredded tires reduce the need for soil while meeting regulatory standards
  • Drainage Systems: Chips work well in leachate and gas collection layers.
  • Road Construction: Use chips or rubber for road bases and dust suppression.
  • Erosion Control: Tires stabilize slopes and prevent soil loss.
• Revenue-Generating Applications
  • Tire-Derived Fuel (TDF): Sell as fuel for power plants or cement kilns.
• Specialized Uses
  • Temporary Fencing: Whole tires can be stacked as barriers or fencing.
  • Stormwater Management: Tires can serve as fill for wetlands or retention ponds.
  • Final Cover: Shredded tires or whole tires help anchor tarps or stabilize landfill covers.
  • Weather Erosion Control: Can be used with alternative cover tarp protection during high winds.

Wood

• ADC: Shredded wood serves as an effective daily cover when mixed with soil or sludge.
• Community Reuse: Shredded wood may be given away to the community as mulch or compost chips.
• Road Maintenance: Chips provide cost-effective road bases and can be used for dust control.
• Leachate Management: Wood chips enhance drainage layers.
• Renewable Energy: Process unusable wood into biomass fuel for power generation or pellet production.

Concrete Aggregate

• Road Construction: Crushed concrete is durable and cost-effective for road bases or repairs.
• Site Development: Concrete aggregate can be used as a backfill for constructing buildings or creating access pads and work zones.
• Erosion Control: Reinforce slopes or embankments to prevent soil erosion.

Fines

• ADC: Fines are cost-effective for daily cover, meeting odor and pest control standards.
• Soil management: Fines may be used to enhance soil structure in erosion control or landscaping applications.

Cardboard

• Recycling: Cardboard can be sent to paper recycling plants for a profit.
• Business Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses to establish a reliable supply of recyclable cardboard.
• Composting: Some types of cardboard can serve as a carbon-rich material for compost.

Alternate Daily Covers

Alternate daily covers are materials, besides soil, used to cover the working face outside of operating hours. This cover reduces waste from blowing, suppresses smell, and deters vermin. Each working day, the cover is removed or compacted over to continue building the trash cell.

• Examples of alternate daily covers are –
  • Foam
  • Spray on slurry
  • Tarps
  • Shredded materials – Tires, wood, aggregate, fines, auto fluff
  • Compost or green waste
  • Contaminated soil and sediment
  • Sludge

Soil for daily cover incurs costs from excavation equipment or outsourcing soil. Choosing to utilize alternate daily covers saves airspace by lowering the amount of soil that is used.  Foams, slurries, or tarps will incur additional costs to the landfill but take up less space than soil. Shredded waste will find its way into the landfill cell regardless… Why not repurpose it as a daily cover instead of compacting it and adding a layer of dirt? This results in less material being compacted and saves overhead costs.

Design and Equipment

To effectively divert waste, a sorting and recycling area should be established before the working face. Trucks unloading waste can be directed either to the sorting area or working face, depending on the type of waste. Recyclable materials should be unloaded at the sorting area, where they will be screened into the appropriate categories and shredded if applicable. Non-recyclable waste, on the other hand, will be sent directly to the working face for disposal.

Equipment like trommel screens, recycling screens, picking stations, eddy currents, and air separators can be employed to separate materials for recycling or diversion, reducing landfill waste. A shredder will be needed if shredded waste is used as daily cover; though costly, it can improve compaction rates by shredding waste before compaction. Foams and slurries require specialized spray equipment, and tarps need a roller that integrates with the compactor.

Equipment at the working face should be optimized to extend the lifespan of each cell, thereby enhancing the overall longevity of the landfill. To maximize efficiency, the equipment must be appropriately sized to handle the daily tonnage and types of waste. Landfills typically use a variety of machinery, including track loaders, water trucks, scrapers, and backhoes. However, three essential machines are always present at the landfill: dozers, landfill compactors, and excavators. When selecting a landfill compactor, choosing one that delivers superior compaction can significantly improve airspace savings, with some models offering up to 10% better compaction rates compared to other compactors on the market.

Conclusion

Overall, effectively managing airspace is critical to extending the life of a landfill and improving its financial sustainability. By implementing practices such as waste diversion, using alternative daily covers, and investing in the right equipment, landfills can not only reduce the volume of material entering the site but also maximize the value of recovered materials. These practices require planning and upfront investment but lead to significant airspace savings, reduced operational costs, and long-term profitability.

Olli Honkamäki is a dedicated recycling and landfill consultant with extensive expertise in waste processes, recycling systems, and waste processing equipment. He specializes in transforming waste streams into valuable resources, helping organizations maximize sustainability and efficiency. A Finnish native from a country renowned as a global leader in recycling, Olli brings both technical knowledge and practical insights to his work. Since joining Tana Oy in 2010, he has played a pivotal role in advancing innovative waste management solutions globally. Olli can be reached at (806) 786-8506 or e-mail oh@humdingerequipment.com.

Charlie Nowak is a North American TANA Sales Representative at Humdinger Equipment. Humdinger Equipment is the North American distributor for TANA. Charlie has extensive experience in all phases of solid waste. He began working in the waste industry as a teenager and has worn many hats, including operating equipment, surveying landfills, water sampling, engineering landfill design, managing landfill operations and transfer stations, and consulting for hauling and landfills. He can be reached at (806) 473-7371 or e-mail cnowak@humdingerequipment.com.