Fire and environmental safety of municipal solid waste landfills

Introduction. An integral part of modern society is human waste, which accumulates in large quantities in special landfills. Fires at landfills release significant amounts of hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere, posing a threat not only to the environment but also to the firefighters fighting them.

Goals and objectives. The objective is to ensure fire safety at solid municipal waste (MSW) landfills and assess potential fire risks. Tasks include conducting a statistical analysis of fire conditions and their consequences, assessing fire risks, determining the adequacy of existing fire safety requirements, and identifying promising fire extinguishing methods.

Materials and methods. This paper analyzes trends related to the accumulation of municipal solid waste. It examines the engineering design of municipal solid waste landfills and their fire and environmental hazards. The results of a statistical analysis of fires at municipal solid waste landfills are presented. The dynamics and main causes of fires are determined. International fire statistics for these sites are used for comparison.

Results. Based on an analysis of fire safety requirements for municipal waste landfills, a lack of certain fire safety criteria was identified. Statistical patterns in the distribution of fire numbers, actual fire area, and response times were determined based on the standardized fire area. Fire risks were calculated. Existing fire suppression equipment and methods for organizing water supply for fires at municipal waste landfills were examined. The most promising areas for developing fire suppression equipment were proposed.

Conclusions. Currently, there are a number of legislative, technical, and socioeconomic issues affecting the effective management of municipal solid waste. Further development of a system for the separate collection, recycling, disposal, and burial of municipal solid waste, as well as the development and implementation of specialized fire prevention measures, will not only reduce risks to the environment and human health but also lower the costs associated with fire response at municipal solid waste landfills.

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