• South Side Landfill has operated continuously, at the same location, since 1971.
• South Side Landfill is a family-owned, private business.  We are not owned or operated by the City of Indianapolis or Marion County.
• In 2008, South Side Landfill received approval for our Phase III expansion.  This expansion increases the footprint of the landfill by 96 acres and will allow South Side Landfill to continue to serve the community for many years to come.

  
LANDFILL GAS SYSTEM

• Landfill gas is generated by the natural decomposition of the waste deposited in a landfill.
• Landfill gas consists of ~45 – 55% Methane,
  ~35 – 50% Carbon Dioxide, ~5 – 10% Nitrogen, <1% Oxygen, and trace compounds at parts per million levels.
• If not properly managed, landfill gas can be a significant source of air pollution or it could migrate.
• South Side Landfill has been actively collecting landfill gas for beneficial use since the 1980s.
• Most of the landfill gas from South Side Landfill is currently processed for sale to Rolls-Royce Corporation Indianapolis facilities for use as boiler and/or generator fuel and to Vertellus Specialties, Inc. Indianapolis facilities for boiler fuel.
• The energy equivalent for the landfill gas delivered by South Side Landfill in 2008: ~275 railcars of coal or 138,000 barrels of oil.
• Over time, approximately 20% (by weight) of typical municipal solid waste is recoverable as landfill gas.

 
CUT-OFF WALL

At South Side Landfill, we take our role as a steward of the environment very seriously.  That’s why we have invested millions of dollars over the past two decades to install cut-off walls around the entire landfill. 

• A cut-off wall is a structure (completely below ground, and invisible to the naked eye) that completely isolates the landfill from the surrounding groundwater, thus ensuring that the presence of the landfill does not impact the important aquifers in the area or nearby surface waters such as the White River and Little Eagle Creek.
• The cut-off walls at South Side Landfill extend, on average, more than 91 ft down from the surface and are keyed into the New Albany Shale bedrock.
• The water levels inside and outside the cut-off walls are monitored monthly to ensure that the levels inside the wall remain lower than the levels outside the wall.

 
CROSSROADS GREENHOUSE

• Built in 1989, Crossroads Greenhouse has always used landfill gas as their primary source of heat.
• Total growing area of Crossroads Greenhouse is nearly 6-1/2 acres, divided into 3 independent climate zones.
• Primary crops:
  Late Winter/Spring – Easter Lilies and geraniums
  Spring/Summer – Custom Order Commercial Landscaping Packages;
  Summer/Fall/Early Winter – Poinsettias.
• Crossroads Greenhouse is a wholesale operation, providing plants to retailers and commercial landscapers across central Indiana.
• This year Crossroads Greenhouse is experimenting with biological pest control in an effort to better control insects and fungi that are becoming resistant to the standard chemical control measures.  Biological pest control means that they are using specially bred predator insects as well as naturally occurring bacteria instead of chemicals.

 
RECYCLING ACTIVITIES

 

 
EDUCATOR RESOURCES

South Side Landfill has recently begun offering resources to educators for use in the classroom in preparation for your visit to our facility, as follow up to your visit, or even for use as stand-alone modules.  Please contact us for more information.

LINKS

• Where Does it Go? (NSWMA)
• Be Green With Waste (NSWMA)
• Profiles in Garbage (NSWMA)
• SustainIndy Recycling Resource