Environmental Impact of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in Semi-Arid Climates - Case Study – Jordan

Landfilling is the most commonly used method for solid waste disposal in Jordan. It is an important source of pollution, which can be displayed through analysis of data for climatic conditions, hydrology and geology of the country. The migration of gas and leachate from the landfill body into the surrounding environment present a serious environmental concern, which include groundwater pollution, air pollution with impact on climate through methane emission and potential health hazards. This paper presents an overview of these environmental concerns from landfilling practices and their adverse environmental effects. In this paper, a number of remedial measures needed to minimize these environmental and socio-economic effects are suggested, with in total ten long term and eight short term measures for improving of the solid waste management system of Jordan.