Landfill Rates

Landfill Expanding

Solid Waste Disposal

Solid waste disposal means the disposal of normally solid or semi-solid material resulting from human and animal activities that are useless, unwanted, or hazardous.  It is the process of getting rid of the waste material that people, business, and industry generate.

Hazardous items which are prohibited from the Defiance County Landfill include, but are not limited to, automobile batteries, paint and various flammable and/or volatile substances, untreated medical waste, Freon, free flowing liquids, herbicides, pesticides and explosives.  Hazardous items should be used up or given to someone who can use or recycle them.  Many auto parts stores will take batteries.  Automotive garages and many oil change services will take motor oil.  Paints and other liquids can often be solidified by purchasing a product at most hardware stores or mixing with sand, dirt or cat litter. Reference our recycling page for further information.

Landfill disposal involves hauling garbage to an area owned by a community or a private firm.  Such areas range from unsanitary open dumps, which are illegal, to properly operated sanitary landfills. The Defiance County Landfill is a licensed permitted sanitary landfill.

Sanitary Landfill

A sanitary landfill is the cheapest means of disposal, but only if suitable land is within economic range of the source of the wastes; transportation accounts for 75% of the total cost of solid waste management.  The Defiance County Sanitary Landfill is conveniently located at 13207 Canal Road. Waste transportation companies such as Werlor Recycling, Porters, and S&S transport waste daily from Defiance Counties as well as neighboring counties. 

Once solid waste is buried in a landfill it can cause physical, chemical and biochemical reactions to take place. Properly covering the waste eliminates the action of air, water, or light contacting waste and creating these reactions.  Leachate or "garbage juice" is produced when garbage is exposed to weather conditions and/or compacted. When waste decomposes with the action of water, the resulting liquid, known as Leachate, percolates downward.  The ground has a natural way of neutralizing chemical and organisms contained in Leachate.  It does this by attenuation or gradually weakening the severity or amount of contamination carried by the Leachate as it filters down through the soil. The EPA monitors landfills and has mandated federal regulations to protect ground water and prevent pollution from inadequately designed and/or operated landfills.  The Defiance County Landfill is in compliance with these regulations.

Recycling and waste reduction must also be used together with the landfill to further reduce the volume of waste involved.  These programs lessen the amount of refuse that is buried in landfills, thereby increasing the lifespan of the same.

2006 Defiance County Landfill Aerial Views

The Defiance County Landfill.  Aerial shots taken May, 2006 by Mr. Bob Arends.

The water shown on the left is after the series of storms we had in April. The landfill has a 6” pump that removes the standing water.

If you look closely at the small patch of yellow, this is where the landfill is currently accepting waste.  This area is named Phase 3.

This picture shows the road leading to the waste area.

Another angle of the landfill.

The borrow area.  This is the area where dirt is hauled from – when it’s not wet!