Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES)

Around the globe, the demand for waste management is on the rise. This is especially so for developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) whose waste generation rates are rising due to population growth, industrialization and economic development. In the countries, landfill disposal remains the most acceptable approach to manage waste due to its cost-effective nature. However, the approach has environmental and human health implications that are discussed in this review using preexistent studies. Landfilling results to production of surface and subsurface fires that can destroy recyclables and pollute landfill vicinities through smoke. The practice also results to the generation of leachate, which is noxious and its constituents pollute land and water resources in addition to causing ill human health effects. Landfills also produce greenhouse gases that exacerbate atmospheric pollution and contribute to global warming and climate change. With knowledge of these environmental challenges, this review emphasized that it is essential to improve technologies and infrastructure used in landfilling to ensure waste is inert and the environmental threats associated with landfills are controlled and prevented in the long-term. This is the premise of sustainable landfilling with the precognition that the practice is inevitable and must be supported by strong waste management systems and policies to be environmental friendlier.