Alternative Daily Cover Material for Landfills

Landfill daily covers, or alternative daily covers (ADCs), are a crucial component to running a safe landfill that meets government regulations. Alternative daily covers allow landfill operators to prevent issues like fires, scavenging, odors, and pollution without the use of traditional soil covers. 

Most government regulations require a soil covering of 6 or more inches in depth for landfills, but with an alternative daily cover, only a fraction of this depth (typically ¼ of an inch) is required to achieve the same health and safety goals. This has a variety of benefits for landfill operators, from reducing costs to increasing capacity. 

What is Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) in waste management?

Alternative daily covers are any landfill covers other than soil that are used to seal the day’s trash in a landfill. There are several different kinds of alternative daily covers that can be used to meet federal landfill regulations, ranging from materials like compost and green waste to shredded tires or recycled paper mulch. Daily covers can also be made from ash and auto shredder residue (ASR), and, in general, each type of cover can be applied via a sprayer from a hydroseeder. 

Because daily covers — historically often a thick layer of soil — are required by federal regulations to maintain the health and safety of landfills, many waste managers choose to use alternative daily covers which can provide effective, regulation-compliant coverage for much less space and time consumption.

How can alternative daily cover be applied?

To apply the required amount of coverage, alternative daily cover materials are typically sprayed over the landfill area, and are sometimes referred to as ‘spray-on daily cover’ as a result. This process can be efficient and effective with equipment like Finn’s custom-designed landfill solution, the FINN LF-120 Hydroseeder

Built specifically for the extreme environments of landfills, the LF-120 includes high ground clearance, specialized guards and skid plates, heavy duty tandem axles, rugged, tubeless tires for maximum mobility, and a reinforced trailer tongue with hitch extension for towing ease behind nearly any heavy equipment. 

Up to 7500 square feet of ADC can be applied in one application from the LF-120, and it typically takes less than an hour to do so. These features allow landfill operators to cover every inch of the landfill quickly and easily — saving time, space, and money.

What are the benefits of Finn’s Alternative Daily Cover Material?

Finn’s ADC is made from recycled paper and wood, combined with proprietary ingredients for a dependable landfill cover that reduces odors and breaks down garbage more quickly. The Finn ADC is quick to apply, covering large areas of landfill for a fraction of the time it would take to apply the minimum 6 inch layer of soil required. ADC application also takes a fraction of the manpower to apply, as two individuals can cover the landfill in about an hour, rather than having to rely on a team of people to dig, haul, and apply a thick layer of soil. 

Alternative daily covers are required for landfills because they provide a range of safety and public health benefits including: 

  • Flammability and fire hazard control
  • Minimizes the spread of disease 
  • Breaks down garbage faster
  • Landfill odor control
  • Prevents landfill-related litter and pollution 

In addition to maintaining a landfill’s safety, alternative daily cover benefits can include additional advantages like: 

  • Space savings 
  • Prolonged landfill life and operability 
  • Reduced fuel, equipment, and labor costs 

ADCs can dramatically improve the capacity of landfills, saving space with each application, which can extend the life and capacity of a landfill. 

Where can you buy Finn ADC Material for Landfills?

Finn’s alternative daily cover and waste cover materials for landfills are available for purchase from Finn All Seasons landfill solutions. Depending on your area, many of our local Finn dealers also sell alternative daily cover materials. 

For more information about waste covers and materials, or to find out where you can purchase alternative daily cover materials for landfills, contact us today.