Containment of Solid Wastes in some Large Scandinavian Cities

Two kinds of containment of solid wastes - one in the vicinity of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, another on the outskirts of Gothenburg, the second largest city of sweden - are reviewed in this article. They represent two different approaches to waste management. Special attention is given to the geological-geotechnical characteristics of the subsoil of the waste sites which determine to a large extent the risks of infiltration and transport of leachates.

The role of the barrier, its design and construction or the consequences arising from the lack of abarrier are dealt with herein. The monitoring program and the technique to control leachates are also presented. Finally a lesson is drawn from these case histories.