PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Climate change is an indisputable reality, and Europe must ensure that it is prepared for disruptions caused by looming climate risks. Waste infrastructures such as landfills will be particularly vulnerable to further increases in average temperatures, rising sea levels and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, heatwaves and floods.
The risks posed to landfills are high due to their longevity, with sites remaining active for decades. In fact, landfills can remain operational for more than 140 years including aftercare and restoration periods. It has been estimated that there were at least 500 000 operational and closed landfills in the EU28. Most of them (around 90% with an estimated total volume of 30-50 Gm3 of waste) are “non sanitary” and are equipped with only limited protection for controlling environmental impacts on water, soil, climate and health.
A number of climate impacts specifically threaten the waste management sector:
- Increased risk of flooding affecting soil stabilization and increasing rates of waste decomposition and infiltrated leachate;
- Reduced water availability for wet processes and site management (particularly during the summer); and
- Increased risk of fires and explosions caused by drought periods and heatwaves.
In summary, waste management constitutes a major environmental, economic and social worldwide challenge in the face of climate change, especially given that waste volumes are continuing to grow faster than the world’s population.
OBJECTIVES
The GREEN ADAPT project plans to implement a climate adaptation system that aims to improve resilience in landfills. It proposes the use of blue and green infrastructures as climate adaptation solutions:
(i) the use of bio-technosoil formulated with landfill waste for soil stabilization, preventing landslides caused by extreme rain and floods;
(ii) the combination of innovative treatment wetlands to store and treat leachates and the temporarily high-contaminated run-off water;
(iii) the re-use of treated wastewater to mitigate and cope with the effects of high temperatures from fires or explosions, contributing to the guarantee of water availability.
The project will contribute to the implementation of the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal through a Disaster Risk Reduction strategy – from prevention (identification of hazardous events), preparedness (increasing resilience towards extreme weather events, presence of combustible gases and water scarcity), to recovery (use of organic waste as soil stabilization and amendment solutions, re-use of treated wastewater) from climate change impacts.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Recovery of 27 507 tonnes a year of waste as bio-technosoil;
- Reduction of water pollution: reduction of the concentration of heavy metals by 95%, and of ammonium compounds and DBO5 by 99%;
- Increased landfill lifespan by 50%;
- Increased resilience to flooding, with 1 065 m3/year of polluted water-spillovers avoided;
- Increased resilience to droughts, with 21 300 m3/year of water available to recharge natural water courses;
- Increased resilience to spontaneous fires, with 2 130 m3/year of irrigation water recovered to decrease water temperature, reducing freshwater consumption;
- Reduced CO2 emissions by 116 702 tons of CO2eq/year; and
- Saving of costs related to the external treatment of landfill leachates of between €200 000 and 500 000 a year.
