Landfill restoration refers to the process of covering a landfill once it has reached its maximum capacity and transforming it into usable land. This process usually consists of covering it with a top layer of soil and impermeable materials, also called capping, to ensure that vegetation could grow.[1][2] Studies have shown that capping landfills promotes vegetation growth,[1] which provides additional benefits such as reducing rainfall infiltration, decreasing and mitigating soil erosion, improving ecological diversity, and improves the visual appearance of the landfill site.[3] Restoring landfill sites is considered essential to recuperate ecosystems, to minimize any negative impacts the site had on the environment, and to ensure that the site is safe for any future use.[4]
^ abCamerini, G., & Groppali, R. (2014). Landfill restoration and biodiversity: A case of study in Northern Italy. Waste Management & Research, 32(8), 782–790. doi:10.1177/0734242X14545372
^Pang, C.-C., Lo, W.-F., Yan, R. W.-M., & Hau, B. C.-H. (2020). Plant community composition on landfill sites after multiple years of ecological restoration. Landscape Research, 45(4), 458–469. doi:10.1080/01426397.2019.1674266
^Wong, J. T., Chen, X., Mo, W., Man, Y., Ng, C. W., & Wong, M. (2016). Restoration of Plant and Animal Communities in a Sanitary Landfill: A 10‐year Case Study in Hong Kong. Land Degradation & Development, 27(3), 490–499. doi:10.1002/ldr.2402
^Vaverková, M. D., Radziemska, M., Bartoň, S., Cerdà, A., & Koda, E. (2018). The use of vegetation as a natural strategy for landfill restoration. Land Degradation & Development, 29(10), 3674–3680. doi:10.1002/ldr.3119