Work out landfill airspace instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Gross airspace is footprint times average fill depth, but 10-25% is consumed by daily and intermediate cover soil that occupies volume without generating revenue. Multiplying the remaining airspace by in-place density — typically 0.8-1.1 t/m3 with good compaction — gives the tonnage the cell can accept.
Landfill capacity
Waste airspace = footprint x depth x (1 - cover fraction); capacity (t) = waste airspace x in-place density
Landfill design, capping and gas and leachate management are governed by environmental permits and engineering standards. Confirm permitted volumes and stability requirements.
Airspace is the landfill's saleable asset. Raising in-place density from 0.8 to 1.0 t/m3 puts 25% more waste in the same hole, which is why heavy compactors and thin-layer placement repay themselves quickly.
Yes. Geosynthetic covers, sprayed foams and tarpaulins replace 150-300 mm of soil each day, recovering a significant share of the cover airspace over the life of a cell.