Glossary of Terms

• Air Space: capacity available for disposal of waste at a landfill.

• Cell: Landfills are constructed in phases called cells that adjoin one another, separated by a berm to contain leachate within an area. The entire permitted area of the landfill site is divided into separate cells for construction.

• Closure: the construction of a final cover for a landfill including the placement of a compacted soil layer that may or may not include a man-made material over the waste surface, topsoil and other materials as may be required, surface vegetation and means to control emissions of landfill gas to the atmosphere. Modern landfills are designed at the outset to become usable neighborhood assets after they close. Today's landfills, in fact, may become tomorrow's soccer fields, hiking trails, airports, golf courses, ski hills and shopping malls.

• Construction & Demolition (C&D): includes materials generated from building a structure (construction) and those created during the destruction of a building (demolition debris).

• EPEA: Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act

• IC&I: any material generated by industrial, commercial & institutional facilities, that has no further use, and is managed at off-site waste disposal, recycling or composting sites.

• Landfill: A highly engineered facility that provides disposal capability for solid waste. Modern landfills are sited, designed and constructed like a vault to prevent the release of contaminants into the surrounding environment.

• Landfill Gas (LFG): is created when organic waste decomposes. The gas consists of approximately equal parts methane (the primary component of natural gas), and carbon dioxide, as well as traces of non-methane organic compounds. Any LFG generated at BFI Canada's and IESI's landfills is collected and controlled to significantly reduce pollutants and minimize odours.

• Leachate: is water generated by the decomposition of waste and rainwater that has come into contact with waste. BFI Canada's and IESI's facilities are equipped with appropriate systems to manage this material. Liner and leachate collection systems at BFI Canada and IESI sites are designed to contain and remove any leachate from the site for treatment.

• Liner: a continuous layer constructed of natural and man-made materials, beneath or on the sides of a landfill or a cell, which restricts the downward or lateral migration of the leachate.

• MRF: Material recovery facility, where material is sorted into recyclable bales or bundles before being sent to manufacturers.