What’s an example of a well-sited landfill? There’s Roosevelt Landfill, in eastern Klickitat County, Washington (owned and operated by Republic Services). “Weather, geology, and proximity to rail, pipeline, and barge transportation facilities are key reasons the Roosevelt facility is ideally located. The weather is dry, with less than 8 ½ inches of rain a year to complicate operations and the chemistry of decomposition. The landfill is located in a natural geologic bowl formed by millions of years of action by volcanoes, wind and water, underlain by 300 feet of solid clay and 1,500 feet of basalt lava. Geologists say it would take 15,000 years for water to percolate through those formations. And Roosevelt is unique in its proximity to river barges, railways, and the Williams natural gas pipeline, all within a mile or two of the landfill.” [source]
A landfill with virtually identical conditions exists in Oregon, just across the Columbia River from the Roosevelt Landfill: WMI’s Columbia Ridge Landfill in Gilliam County.
These are two examples of landfills sited well: dry climate, deep clay underlayment, far from urban centers.
That being said, landfilling should still be the option of last resort for dealing with solid waste. Just sending our garbage to another landfill is not a long-term solution.