Section Five
LANDFILLS-A. GENERAL
56    ANALYSIS OF 20-YEAR-OLD REFUSE FROM THE
MALLARD NORTH LANDFILL IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Riley N. Kinman, Professor
Janet Rickabaugh, Research Associate
Gerald Berg, Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
David L. Nutini, General Manager
RNK Environmental, Inc.
Covington, Kentucky 41017
William Rathje, Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721
INTRODUCTION
A dig was performed on the solid waste disposed at Mallard North Landfill in Chicago, Illinois in
June 1988. This was performed in a closed section of the landfill. The total project was in association
with the University of Arizona's Anthropology Department. The purpose of our involvement in this
project was to evaluate the waste materials from the landfill for the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of the waste.
The Mallard North Landfill is located in Hanover Park, Chicago. The section opened up was closed
in the late sixties and early seventies. A primary goal was to Find 20 to 30 year old refuse for analysis.
No records were available as to the exact date of closure for a particular section of the landfill, but the
oldest section was selected for the sampling location. Sites for either a trench dig or a bucket auger
bore hole dig were selected at random around this oldest section.
There was no way to predict whether the site locations selected for the dig were completely random
in terms of how the original landfill was filled. Samples were taken at the different locations and
depths until no older refuse was found. Absolute dating of newspapers and other sources placed the
age of the waste at the early seventies, so the waste was at least 17, 18, or 19 years old. Our goal to find
20 year old garbage in the sanitary landfill was met. This refuse was approximately 20 years old.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Sampling
The excavation and sampling of the waste from Mallard North Landfill took place between June 20
to 24, 1988. Two methods of excavation were performed. One included digging a trench with a
backhoe and sampling at various locations within the trench. The other excavation method involved
the use of a bucket auger. The bucket auger operates like an oil rig on the land. A three foot diameter
steel bucket with sharp teeth is rotated like a drill into the refuse and soil. The teeth are shaped to core
material out and feed the material up into the bucket. Samples were taken at various depths with this
device. The samples are identified in Table I. At each sample location, a composition sample, a virus
sample and a microbiological sample were taken. A sampling of 19 different locations within the
44lh Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1990 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
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