An hazardous waste landfill in northern Italy: 25 years of activity

Barricalla is an hazardous waste landfill located near Turin (Italy), active since 1988 in four sites consequentially cultivated. They are characterized by volumes between 100,000 and 275,000 m3, and have been active for 5-8 years each. At the moment the four sites exhibit different ages and features, therefore they may be considered as single landfills. Since the beginning, on the grounds of the strong cooperation between Barricalla SpA firm, the local authority (Provincia di Torino) and the academic institution (mainly Politecnico di Torino), the design and management of the plant have been carried on by adopting standards higher than the contemporary regulations, aiming to the fulfillment of an enhanced environmental protection. This approach lead to the development of self-control systems and to the promotion of monitoring and research activity on the field, which made of Barricalla a model of tecnological efficiency and management. The goal of this study is to summarize and discuss the monitoring data collected during Barricalla’s 25 years activity. Leachate quality is mainly connected to the nature of the disposed wastes and also to the leaching ratio in the starting phases of cultivation: considering the average concentration in the leachate and the amount extracted, the most significant parameters are COD, lead and chlorides. In all cases the release chiefly occurs during the cultivation phase. In relative terms, the second site’s leachate shows the mostly critical features and the higher amount of pollutants extracted. Although a mass balance concerning lead exhibited very low extraction percentages: values between 0.00012% and 0.0015% were observed for the four sites.