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Ministry of Environment

Guidelines for Environmental Monitoring at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

Section 7.0: Soils and Vegetation

Areas of vegetation toxicity or stress such as discoloration, die-off, stunting or anomalous growth may indicate leachate or landfill gas have migrated to the root zone. Landfill gas can damage vegetation due to the elimination of oxygen from the root zone of plants or due to the presence of a number of trace contaminants.

Soil analysis can be used for tracing leachate constituents, particularly those prone to cation exchange or other adsorption reactions which cannot be obtained from water samples (GLL, 1993). Soils sampling programs involve the consideration of not only how to sample but where to sample and how many samples to take. As municipal solid waste landfills are one of the most complex sources of contaminants, it is imperative that soils sampling programs be designed and carried out by qualified personnel, including, in some cases, a statistician, to ensure that the results are representative and cost-effective.

It is recommended that an agrologist or plant biologist be consulted to determine the effect and, if required, remediation of LFG and/or leachate on soil and vegetation.