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.
