France

Optimizing and completing post-closure care (PCC), or aftercare, of closed MSW landfills in Europe is a major issue facing SITA, the waste services arm of Suez Environnement. Working with the French Agency for the Environment and Energy (ADEME), Suez and SITA turned to Geosyntec to investigate application of the performance-based Evaluation of Post-Closure Care (EPCC) Methodology in Europe. The EPCC Methodology was developed by Geosyntec to evaluate optimizing and ending PCC at MSW landfills regulated under RCRA Subtitle D in the U.S. Procedurally, the methodology is based on assessment that a closed landfill that no longer represents a threat to human health and the environment. Assessing landfill monitoring and management requirements in terms of maintaining functional stability allows care activities to be progressively reduced until no active care is necessary and only de minimus custodial care activities remain for passive control systems (mainly for the cover).