Sanitary landfill: secure waste landfill across project lifecycle

With SUEZ, your landfill project goes beyond waste disposal—it becomes a key component of an integrated and sustainable waste management strategy. We design solutions that fit within a broader circular economy approach, maximising value recovery and minimising environmental impact.

Your project can include upstream treatment solutions such as pre-sorting, recycling, composting or energy recovery. By reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill and recovering valuable materials and energy, you improve overall performance while aligning with circular economy principles

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We also ensure that your landfill is fully embedded within its local environment. From the earliest stages, we work closely with local stakeholders, authorities and communities to develop a project that is accepted and creates lasting added value. 

A strong focus is placed on social integration. We consider local dynamics and actively engage with communities, ensuring transparency and dialogue throughout the project lifecycle. Where relevant, we integrate local operators—including informal waste pickers—into a structured and responsible framework, preserving livelihoods while improving waste management practices.

Environmental integration is equally central to our approach. We design facilities that minimise land use, protect biodiversity and blend into their surroundings, ensuring long-term compatibility with the local ecosystem.

By choosing SUEZ, you develop more than a landfill, you build a sustainable, circular and inclusive project that creates value for your territory, your community and the environment.

We support you throughout the entire lifecycle of sanitary landfill y project, from initial design to construction and commissioning. Our teams combine engineering expertise with on-site supervision to ensure that every phase is delivered safely on time and in full compliance with environmental standards.

We manage construction works with a focus on quality, performance and risk control. By coordinating contractors, monitoring works progress and ensuring technical compliance, we guarantee the reliability and durability of your infrastructure.

Our approach integrates advanced environmental technologies, including sealing systems, leachate collection and treatment, and biogas capture solutions. These systems are designed to minimise emissions, protect natural resources and enable energy recovery from waste.

Sealing systems are a critical component of sanitary landfill design, ensuring the long-term protection of soil and groundwater. They typically include multilayer barrier systems combining natural and synthetic materials such as compacted clay liners, Geo Clay Liner and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and high protection through geotextile against short- and long-term damage. These systems create an impermeable base and cover structure that prevents the migration of contaminants and limits water infiltration, thereby reducing leachate generation and maintaining environmental integrity over the entire lifecycle of the facility.

Leachate management systems are designed to collect, control and treat liquids generated by waste decomposition and rainwater infiltration.

A network of drainage layers, perforated pipes and collection wells directs leachate towards dedicated treatment facilities. Depending on site conditions, treatment may include physical, chemical and biological processes to remove pollutants and ensure compliance with discharge standards or Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) if it is required.

This integrated approach protects groundwater resources and enables safe water management throughout landfill operation and post-closure phases. 

Biogas capture systems are implemented to control and treat landfill gas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste. Collection wells and pipe networks extract the gas, which is predominantly composed of methane and carbon dioxide. Once captured, biogas treated can be flared or upgraded and converted into renewable energy, such as electricity, heat or biomethane. This process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions while transforming landfill operations into a source of sustainable energy for your region. Supported by carbon finance project, that investment can provide carbon credits.

With SUEZ, you benefit from expert operation of your facility, ensuring long-term performance and regulatory compliance. Our teams manage daily operations with a strong focus on safety, efficiency and environmental protection, providing you with a reliable and transparent service.

We continuously monitor and optimise key processes, including waste acceptance, cell operation, leachate management and biogas collection. This ensures controlled emissions, protection of soil and water resources, and consistent operational performance throughout the lifecycle of the facility.

We can implement ongoing performance monitoring and reporting, giving you full visibility on environmental indicators and operational results. This data-driven approach supports continuous improvement and helps you meet your sustainability and climate objectives.

By trusting SUEZ with the operation of your landfill, you secure a high-performance asset that combines operational excellence, environmental responsibility and long-term value creation for your territory.

We support you in the safe closure of legacy dumpsites and the associated environmental remediation work, helping you turn environmental liabilities into long-term assets. Our expertise covers the full transformation process, from securing unsafe sites to restoring land and integrating it into its natural and social environment. 

We implement comprehensive remediation strategies to address the environmental impacts of former landfills. This includes waste recovery, installation of protective barriers, and the management of residual emissions such as leachate and landfill gas. Our approach ensures long-term environmental compatibility and compliance with regulatory requirements. 

Beyond closure, we provide long-term aftercare and monitoring to ensure the safety and stability of the site. Through continuous environmental monitoring, maintenance of infrastructure and performance assessment, we ensure that risks are controlled over time and that the site remains safe for future use. 

Our ambition goes further than remediation: we transform former landfills into opportunities for regeneration. Sites can be redeveloped into biodiversity areas, green spaces or energy production zones, such as solar farms, contributing to local development and environmental resilience. 

By choosing SUEZ, you turn a former dumpsite into a sustainable asset—reducing environmental risks, enhancing land value and creating long-term benefits for communities and ecosystems.