Landfill Lids are put in place at Longreach Waste Facility. Image: Aaron from Skinn Deep Photos An Australian patented invention has got some of landfill management’s most challenging aspects covered. If Anni Colbran had her way, Landfill Lids would be installed at every landfill site she oversees. The Waste Manager for Proterra Group, which manages 13 waste facilities throughout regional Queensland, says the patented lids are saving regional councils up to 33 per cent in cover material costs, landfill space and manpower. “We love them,” Anni says. “They’re so quick and easy. We’ve got one landfill site that has been using Landfill Lids for only weeks, and they can see the benefits already.” Landfill Lids are an Australian patented invention by Grant Lacey, who has 30 years of landfill and waste experience in the local government and private sectors across Australia and internationally. He invented the lids to help improve operations and safety for waste facilities. Easy to use and robust, they are exactly what the name suggests – a lid (steel plate) that is placed over landfill cells daily as an alternative to virgin excavated natural material. The lids have been tried and tested on more than 50 local sites and are in use across the United States and Europe. Proterra Group first purchased four Landfill Lids in 2017 for the Goondiwindi Waste Facility. It has now installed them at its Longreach, Charleville and Inglewood facilities and offers them as an addition to every Proterra contract. Anni says the advantages of deploying the lids are multifaceted. One of the biggest issues at any landfill is cover material. Every licensed landfill in Australia has a requirement for a daily cover. In most instances that is virgin excavated natural material/soil, which can be both time consuming and costly. For landfills that buy cover material, it’s not cheap and there are rules and regulations about where it can be sourced and what it contains. Once on the cell, the material must be removed each day; some is lost in the waste pile or contains waste from the previous day. “But the big thing for us was trying to conserve as much airspace as possible,” Anni says. “The saving of landfill space and cover material, particularly in rural areas, is so important. Instead of losing our air space to dirt every day, we cover the rubbish daily with Landfill Lids.” The second biggest thing is windblown rubbish, especially at rural landfills. Anything that can help alleviate waste escaping from the site is of benefit. “There’s no egress of cover material and the lids keep vermin out. It’s all the things that make managing a landfill site easier,” Anni says. Landfill Lids are moved to the tip face within minutes using a compactor or loader. Because they don’t have hydraulics or motors that can break down during deployment, no backup stockpiles are required. They can be deployed during all weather conditions, can be used day or night and are available in various configurations to suit the specific needs of different sites. With the escalating occurrence of fires at landfills due to incorrect disposal of batteries, the lids are adding another layer of safety. The steel plates can be used to help smother and contain any flare-ups. Anni says Landfill Lids are particularly suited to rural landfills that receive mixed waste. “They are very robust, and they don’t rip or tear. We’ve had one that has been run over by a compactor and it’s still good to go,” she says. It’s not just Anni who is lauding the advantages of Landfill Lids. She says ease of use and time savings are a winning combination for landfill operators. Grant provides onsite training for operators, so they’re equipped with the knowledge to use and repair the lids. Within hours the lids are operational. “It’s that easy,” Anni says. “If you spoke to any of our landfill operators, they all really like them. Some old-school operators were hesitant, but they were soon won over because it frees them up to do so many other jobs on site. “I will buy Landfill Lids for every site I manage if I get an opportunity.”

Landfill Lids offer solution for challenging landfill management

Landfill Lids, an Australian patented invention, are being used at Proterra Group's waste facilities in Queensland to manage landfill operations more efficiently. These lids are saving up to 33% in cover material costs, landfill space, and manpower. The invention by Grant Lacey is being praised for its ease of use and robustness, and it is being adopted across the United States and Europe.