An Innovative Approach to Waste Site Management, Treatment and Rehabilitation

The innovative use of poplar trees at landfills and other waste sites to improve final closure cover caps and to
treat and monitor leachate and stormwater runoff offers significant cost and management advantages with the potential for restoration and the commencement of ecological blending with surrounding landscapes. This paper describes the basic concepts for using poplar tree technologies and compares the poplar tree systems with the more common and ecologically sterile conventional approaches, such as the synthetic membrane cover cap and land application of leachate on grass crops. The paper also discusses where the poplar tree systems are feasible, the main elements of their implementation, and the potential cost savings that can be realized, together with the prime elements of their use as “conditioners” in longer term restoration endeavours. Current industrial and municipal applications and examples of the technology from Ontario and North America are described.