GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 71 (2025), No. 1
geoscience.cz pp. 26–30, ISSN 1802-5420
DOI 10.35180/gse-2025-0117
NECESSITY OF LANDFILLING - IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
TODAY
And ej VAĽO 1, No be JURÍK 1, Ma in LAPČÍK 1, Vladimí LAPČÍK 1
1 VSB - Technical Uni e si y o Os a a, Facul y o Mining and Geology, Depa men o En i onmen al
Enginee ing, Os a a, Czech Republic
E-mail: and ej. alo.s @ sb.cz
ABSTRACT
The u u e o was e disposal, which ep esen s a majo ecological and en i onmen al p oblem in Eu ope and i s
indi idual coun ies, is s ill no sol ed in any e ec i e way. Land illing is di ec ly ela ed o he was e managemen
p og ams o indi idual coun ies o he Eu opean Union, which mainly s i e o mi iga e he impac o was e on
he en i onmen . Imp ope handling o was e poses a h ea o all componen s o he en i onmen , he e o e p ope
handling and subsequen p ocessing is essen ial.
Keywo ds: Ci cula Economy; En i onmen ; Land illing; Municipal Was e.
1 INTRODUCTION
The si ua ion wi h was e disposal emains unce ain due o a ious p essu es, p ima ily economic, ecological, bu
also en i onmen al. The sui abili y o land illing, especially o municipal was e, is o en ques ioned, despi e he
ac ha , un o una ely, he amoun o was e is inc easing. Wi h success ul p og ess in he ield o p ocessing and
subsequen use o was e as a consume aw ma e ial, whe he in he ield o ene gy o u he use, a ai ly la ge
b eak h ough may occu a e which we as a socie y could g adually ge id o he habi o pu ing was e in land ills.
Howe e , e e y hing will depend on he sui abili y o choosing en i onmen ally iendly echnologies.
2 WASTE IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The ci cula economy is a model (Figu e 1) o p oduc ion and consump ion in which hings a e no h own away,
bu a e sha ed, eused, epai ed and ecycled as a as possible. In his way, he li e ime o p oduc s is inc eased
and was e is educed. Thanks o ecycling, a e eaching he end o he p oduc 's use ul li e, he ma e ials should
hen be used o p oduce a new p oduc . Depending on he ype, he was e can be empo a ily o pe manen ly s o ed
in a land ill. As empo a ily s o ed was e, we can conside , o example, old clo hes ha can be ecycled and eused
[1].
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GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 71 (2025), No. 1
geoscience.cz pp. 26–30, ISSN 1802-5420
DOI 10.35180/gse-2025-0117
Figu e 1. In og aphic explaining he ci cula economy model [2]
In he u u e, howe e , we should coun on he possibili y o g adually abandoning land illing in o de o ee up
as a eas ha undamen ally a ec he landscape and he en i onmen . Howe e , his will be qui e p oblema ic,
bu no impossible, acco ding o many s a emen s o leading ep esen a i es o indi idual s a es in Eu ope, gi en
he di e si y o he amoun o was e p oduc ion depending on he size o indi idual coun ies.
3 STATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC 2030 WITH
OUTLOOK TO 2050
Wi h a iew up o he pe iod o 2050, his s a egic documen is a he op le el. The i s documen was al eady
adop ed in 1995 and is cu en ly numbe 6. Documen is in ended o a en-yea pe iod (2020-2030). The documen
o ms goals in he a ea o en i onmen al p o ec ion o he Czech Republic, se s s a egic di ec ion and co e s
en i onmen al issues in hei en i e y. Sus ainable de elopmen goals and legisla i e documen s a he na ional
and in e na ional le el a e espec ed.
One o he s a egic goals o he S a e En i onmen al Policy o he CR 2030 [3] is he ansi ion o a ci cula
economy, which is supposed o ensu e p ope managemen o aw ma e ials, p oduc s and was e in he Czech
Republic. Wi h he g owing popula ion, he e is an inc ease in was e p oduc ion in he egions. Rela ed o his is a
g ea e bu den on he en i onmen and human heal h. The e o o many s a es is he e o e o achie e he so-
called decoupling, when he pe o mance o he economy is sepa a ed om he p essu e on he ailways. Wi hin
he amewo k o sus ainable de elopmen and managemen o na u al esou ces, i is he e o e necessa y o ocus
on he p e en ion, minimiza ion, ecycling and euse o was e and hus swi ch o a ci cula economy sys em.
The equi emen s o common and ha mless aw ma e ials mus be aken in o accoun when designing he p oduc .
This equi emen will be ensu ed by he so-called ma e ial eco-design, which p e en s obsolescence and inc eases
he li e o he p oduc , enables i o be e ec i e epai ed and easy ecycling. In he u u e, an inc ease in he
po en ial o was e as a aw ma e ial is expec ed wi hin he amewo k o ecycling. The Czech Republic suppo s
he hie a chy o was e managemen . Was e p e en ion is p e e ed o e ma e ial eco e y and ecycling.
Recycling, on he o he hand, is p e e ed o e ene gy u iliza ion o was e, which in u n is ahead o land illing.
Closely ela ed o was e managemen is he bioeconomy, which is based on he p inciples o sus ainabili y,
ci cula i y and includes he p oduc ion o enewable biological esou ces.
The Czech Republic will use he S a e En i onmen al Policy documen o ollow up on in e na ional EU documen s
such as he ci cula package adop ed by he EC in 2005, he New Ac ion Plan o he Ci cula Economy, A cleane
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DOI 10.35180/gse-2025-0117
and mo e compe i i e Eu ope, he UN documen Sus ainable De elopmen Agenda o he pe iod 2015-2030, o
Di ec i e 199/31/EC o he plan ci cula economy o he Czech Republic.
Ano he goal o he ci cula economy documen is o educe he ma e ial in ensi y o he economy. Since he
ex ac ion o p ima y (non- enewable) esou ces is associa ed wi h a signi ican bu den on he en i onmen , he
goal should be o ensu e he p oduc ion o p oduc s while limi ing pollu ion and he impac on he en i onmen
(e.g., using seconda y aw ma e ials, ecycling, nano ma e ials, e c.). By using seconda y aw ma e ials, we can
help educe ma e ial inpu s and he en i onmen al bu den associa ed wi h mining. In p ac ice, his measu e should
p ima ily conce n public con ac s. P ima y aw ma e ials a e planned o be educed h ough ees o axa ion.
Inno a ion and de elopmen o new ma e ials, p ocedu es and echnologies will educe he ma e ial demand.
Las bu no leas , he goal should be he maximum p e en ion o was e. I is planned o expand he esponsibili y
o p oduce s, which imposes he obliga ion o educe nega i e impac s on he en i onmen (p e en ing he use o
haza dous subs ances, low-quali y ma e ials, p io i izing design sui able o ecycling). En i onmen ally iendly
p oduc s can be ma ked wi h an ecological label. By suppo ing he consume and also he con ac ing au ho i y
in he amewo k o public p ocu emen in en i onmen ally conscious decision-making in a ou o p oduc s ha
a e mo e en i onmen ally iendly, he p e en ion o excess p oduc ion o each consume will be ensu ed.
P oduc s ha a e edundan o unwo n can be e u ned o ci cula ion ( u ni u e, clo hing, e c.). A signi ican
olume in was e p oduc ion is ep esen ed by consume and anspo packaging. Tha is why i is necessa y o
suppo he minimiza ion o was e om packaging bo h o he consume and o he ade , anspo e o
manu ac u e . Food was e is an example o was e om unusable p oduc s (households, can eens, ca e ing
es ablishmen s, unsold goods om shops). By 2030, acco ding o he documen , i is necessa y o educe his was e
by 50% pe inhabi an . Unused ood can be p ocessed oge he wi h biological was e in compos ing plan s o
biogas s a ions, hus ensu ing maximum use o he con ained nu ien s and ene gy.
Ensu ing economic s abili y and neu ali y wi hin was e ecycling should be key in ela ion o he was e
managemen hie a chy. Cons uc ion and municipal was e a e he mos p oblema ic g oups in e ms o he amoun
o was e p oduced. I is he e o e necessa y in he u u e o e u n cons uc ion was e o he p oduc ion cycle o o
use i in ano he way, o example o landscaping. A la ge pa o municipal was e is s ill emo ed by land illing,
and mo e han hal is used ma e ially ( ecycling), and also a smalle pa ene ge ically (bu ning and p oduc ion o
elec ici y and hea ). By 2035, he Czech Republic is obliged o mee Eu opean goals in acco dance wi h was e
egula ions. Only 10 % o municipal was e will be land illed [3].
Acco ding o da a om EUROTSTAT in 2016, he Slo ak Republic was 21s and he Czech Republic 13 h in he
sha e o land illed was e. Fo compa ison, Denma k anked i s wi h a sha e o only 3%, and Es onia anked las
wi h a sha e o up o 83% o land illed was e om he o al amoun o was e. In o de o de e mine he cause o
he high p opo ion o land illed was e, i was necessa y o analyse he a eas o he economy wi h he la ges
p opo ion o was e going o land ills, wi h an e o o educe his p opo ion. Municipal was e s ill has he la ges
sha e, especially mixed municipal was e (Fig. 2). O he sou ces o was e a e mainly he s eel indus y and was e
p oduced du ing he p oduc ion o elec ici y (e.g. u nace slag, ash, slag, e c.). These ypes o p oduce s we e and
con inue o be he main challenge in he ield o was e managemen om he poin o iew o di e sion om
land ills. Conside ing he a ie y o was e gene a ed in he economy, pa o which canno ye be ecycled o
ene gy-e icien ly e alua ed, municipal was e is he mos impo an s eam o was e ha he Slo ak Republic could
shi o mo e posi i e numbe s when changing disposal. In i s hi d assessmen o he Eu opean en i onmen , he
Eu opean En i onmen al Agency (EEA) assessed ha , despi e he measu es aken (inc eased ecycling a e, e c.),
he olume o municipal was e con inues o inc ease. Due o he di e en unde s andings o he de ini ion o
municipal was e by indi idual s a es, i was a challenge o adop a clea basic de ini ion in connec ion wi h he EU
Ac ion Plan o he ci cula economy [4].
4 EFFORTS TO PREVENT THE GENERATION OF WASTE
Was e p e en ion is implemen ed by using planning measu es o o he economic ools suppo ing he e icien use
o esou ces. I is also impo an o suppo esea ch and de elopmen in he a ea o achie ing cleane (mo e
ecological) p oduc s and echnologies, and p oduc s and echnologies om which he e is less was e. The
de elopmen o ele an indica o s o en i onmen al p essu es associa ed wi h he gene a ion o was e should
con ibu e o he p e en ion o was e gene a ion a all le els, om he compa ison o p oduc s a he EU le el
h ough he ac i i ies o local sel -go e nmen bodies o na ional measu es. In luencing he design o p oduc ion
and he dis ibu ion o eco-design suppo s means he sys ema ic inco po a ion o en i onmen al aspec s in o he
design o p oduc s wi h he aim o imp o ing he en i onmen al pe o mance o he p oduc h oughou i s en i e
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li e cycle. Rela ed o his will be he p o ision o in o ma ion on was e p e en ion echniques o enable e e y
indus y o use he bes a ailable echniques. I is assumed ha he use o awa eness aising campaigns o he
p o ision o inancial, decision-making o o he suppo o companies will also be bene icial. Such measu es ha e
p o en o be pa icula ly e ec i e when hey a e a ge ed a and ailo ed o small and medium en e p ises and
ope a e h ough es ablished business ne wo ks [1].
5 ENERGY USE OF WASTE
One o he ep esen a i e examples o ene gy use o was e can be a biogas s a ion, i.e., a de ice whe e, du ing he
decomposi ion o o ganic subs ances (biowas e), biogas is p oduced by anae obic e men a ion in closed con aine s
( e men e s) wi hou access o oxygen, which is aken and bu ned in a cogene a ion uni wi h he p oduc ion o
elec ici y and hea . Elec ici y and hea a e p oduced p ima ily om o ganic was e, which is an inhe en ly e icien
way o emo ing i . In addi ion o gas, he ou pu p oduc o he anae obic e men a ion p ocess is diges a e, which
is a mix u e o solid and liquid e men a ion esidue, which can be u he used as e ilize in ag icul u e [5].
Figu e. 2. Mixed municipal was e dump (Pho o by Vaľo A.)
6 CONCLUSION
The e is a di ec connec ion be ween was e dumping and he en i onmen , as land illing di ec ly in e e es wi h i .
Howe e , he necessi y o dumping was e in land ills (land illing) is un o una ely s ill e y impo an , as sui able
echnologies ha e no ye been implemen ed in p ac ice, which could change in a a ou able u u e o he
en i onmen . The app op ia e choice o echnologies, he co ec p ocessing o was e o , ideally, he p e en ion o
was e gene a ion would make ou en i onmen a li le cleane and heal hie and, abo e all, we would ensu e a
cleane u u e o u u e gene a ions.
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GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 71 (2025), No. 1
geoscience.cz pp. 26–30, ISSN 1802-5420
DOI 10.35180/gse-2025-0117
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