This was a serious problem, and as it turns out, still occurs today. Walid Ali informed of the fact that lechate pollution is still prevalent in the older sites of the landfill. Mr. Ali is a very intelligent man who I interviewed and is currently the head of the Department of Environmental Management, (DEM) waste management division. From him I was able to learn much of the basics of the landfill as well as some of its pros and cons. Mr. Ali was an invaluable source. Leachate, which is a deadly mix of hazardous chemicals that form as the weight of the garbage heap forces liquids down, collects at the bottom of the pile. This collection is normal however the problem occurs when it seeps into the soil, thus polluting it. "Aside from being unsightly and foul smelling, dumps attracted insects, gulls and other pests," he said. This wildlife not only endangered itself but also risked the spread of diseases to nearby residents. There were also a number of other serious issues that this type of uncontrolled dumping raised, including fires, which could result in poisonous fumes billowing out of the unprotected toxic waste. It is also important when trying to create a mental picture of the haphazardness of the landfill in the past that one remembers that there were few safety precautions taken, no collection systems, which held gasses and lechate.
Thankfully, by late 1979 people within the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), came to their senses and banned open dumps altogether. What arose from the former dump was what is called a sanitary landfill. The current owners, the RIRRC, formed this type of sanitary landfill in Johnston. A sanitary landfill was described to me as "a landfill which contends with the daily output of trash from across the state." The new name also came with a new set of regulations, which the operators were forced by law to observe. A sanitary landfill operated as each day's trash was laid it was compacted using special bulldozers.
