Dive Brief:

• Republic Services Inc. will construct a fire break at Bridgeton landfill in St. Louis, Mo., to prevent a fire from reaching the adjoining West Lake Landfill.

• Additional projects will be implemented by the company, stemming from an agreement with the Missouri Attorney General, including expanding the gas collection system and capping the site to prevent odor problems.

• The company decided to voluntarily construct a trench that will be dug 30 to 50 feet into the ground and filled in with soil or clay.

Dive Insight:

The preventative measure of installing a fire barrier comes after a series of problems at the landfill due to an underground fire that has been smoldering for three years, occasionally leading to pockets of trash re-igniting and bursting into flames. 

In addition, the fire has been inching closer to radioactive material that has been buried underground at a nearby landfill, intensifying the need for a solution.