For Waste Management, safeguarding the environment means conducting our operations responsibly so that we maintain compliance with requirements; avoid adverse impacts on land, groundwater and surface water; conserve water and energy; and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.  Our landfills perform as designed and protect our natural resources through a variety of engineered control systems.

Surface and Groundwater

Monarch Hill uses a synthetic double-liner system to protect groundwater and a sophisticated system to collect the liquid or “garbage juice” (called leachate) that is created by rainfall or liquids in the decomposing waste. 

The liner system consists of six layers including two layers of 60-mil high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liner, two layers of synthetic geo-textile and two layers of a synthetic geo-net.

The leachate collection system transports the leachate, which can total nearly three million gallons per month, to the Broward County Water and Wastewater Services facility through a dedicated force main.  The leachate is treated and released into the system as reclaimed water. 

The adjacent waste-to-energy facility uses reclaimed water eliminating the need to use fresh water in a process that incinerates waste to produce enough electricity to power more than 40,000 per day.

Groundwater from 43 groundwater wells is sampled and analyzed twice a year to monitor water quality by outside regulatory agencies.  Retention ponds have also been constructed around the site to contain storm water runoff, and the water in these ponds is sampled twice a year to assess its quality.

Odor Control

Monarch Hill seeks to minimize odors in many ways.  More than 350 gas wells remove the landfill gas from the site and a multi-million dollar proprietary technology called LoCat extracts the hydrogen sulfide (the odorous component) from the landfill gas.  Monarch Hill further minimizes odors by covering newly deposited waste with a six-inch thick layer of soil each day, operating deodorizing misters on-site and by monitoring the delivery of potentially odorous wastes daily.

The landfill will receive a final cap at closure and Waste Management will continue to monitor and maintain the site for 30 years.

Keeping the Community Clean

Waste Management employees work to protect the environment, minimize litter and tend to the aesthetics of the site.  More than 500 new trees – including native oaks, Royal Palms and Bismarck Palms, were recently planted to enhance landscaping along Wiles and Powerline roads.   Crews routinely clean the streets and pick up wind blown litter around the property.

Monarch Hill’s wildlife specialist, trained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service,  manages the bird population on-site to keep populations down and minimize impacts to the community.