The containment of solid and liquid waste materials represents one of the greatest societal problems that currently exists. It is very clear that improper disposal and/or improper containment of waste products represents a major threat to the world’s groundwater and surface water suppliers. Fortunately, geosynthetics of every type play a key role in providing for safe and secure containment of such waste materials. Geomembranes, as the primary barrier, are augmented by various drainage materials such as geonets, geocomposites and geopipe. These in tum utilize geotextiles as protection, separators, gas drains and (along with geogrids) reinforcement materials. Geosynthetic clay liners are used to replace blankets of natural clays.
The paper reviews the use of the most common geosynthetic materials for waste containment and adresses some selected concerns about their use.
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