Abstract

M R Masnavi & F Vamenani

Landfills cause environmental degradation through several factors i.e. GHG emissions including CH4 and CO2, leachate generation and contamination of soil and ground water, air pollution and threatening biodiversity and human life. Decomposition of organic matter in landfill occurs when water comes in contact with the buried waste, and leachate production and GHG emission are exacerbate by an increase in moisture level in landfills. While leachate generation causes vegetation damage, and surface and ground water contamination, GHG emission is leading to Ozone layer depletion and climate change process. In many aspects, achieving ecological or environmental sustainability is closely linked to the manner in which we deal with the landfills issues. Broad visions of what constitutes an ecologically sustainable system for waste treatment plant have been suggested. Ecological design is any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts through integrating itself with living processes and also explicitly addresses the design dimensions and the solutions for environmental problems. Ecological design is considered as effective adaptation to and integration with nature’s processes. This paper firstly reviews the impacts of landfills on natural and built environment; then deals with investigation of the role of ecological design to reduce the effects of landfills and finally devises a framework for ecological planning and design provided with the strategies and policies for the landscape design of landfills.