5 Revolutionary Landfill Technologies
Most people probably do not think much about where their waste products eventually go. However, it takes quite a bit of thought on the behalf of waste engineers. They must wrestle with the public’s ire over landfills and at the same time figure out how to manage them more efficiently and reduce the negative impact they make on the environment. Well, the answer – as it is in so many areas of business – is technology. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways that technology is innovating in the waste management sector.
- Drones: If you believe that drones are nothing more than toys then you are pretty far behind the times. Drones have a variety of practical uses in many industries and areas of business and government including real estate, law enforcement, film making, etc. Now, drones are also being used to measure landsite emissions and to gather other data from an aerial perspective.
- Landfill GPS Systems: Systems like ours helps landfill engineers to optimize compaction, and maximize the use of airspace as well. They also provide actionable information to management so that they can improve worker safety and improve the overall efficiency of the landfill.
- Thermal imaging: Fire is a constant threat to landfills. This is because most of the waste in landfills is flammable. Thermal imaging technologies help landfill managers keep track of hot spots that could erupt into full blown fires endangering worker safety and releasing pollutants into the environment.
- Cameras and sensors: Gas leaks emanating from landfills send potentially harmful pollutants into the air and are one of the main challenges of landfill management. It is also one of the things that most draws the public ire about landfills. Gas-detecting technologies spot leaks thereby creating a safer and more productive landfill.
- The Internet of Things (IoT): The growing connectivity of devices various devices to the Internet and to each other makes it possible for fleet managers to track each truck’s routes and pickups in real-time.
Considered all together, the evolution of technologies that manage emissions, control leachate and monitor landfill promises to make landfills more efficient and profitable for owners. Landfills that stay behind the times on these trending technologies need to take only a moment to consider how thermal imaging, GPS landfill systems, drones, etc., can help change the image than landfills occupy in the public consciousness. We do our part by providing our customers with GPS construction, earthmoving, grading and accuracy solutions that are made for the 21st.
