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North County RC&SL Page 7 of 64 Public Works/Solid Waste Joint Technical Document County of San Joaquin – Revised July 14, 2025 • 285,264 tons of material were received. • 260,128 tons of material were disposed of (buried). The remaining 25,136 tons were recovered at the Recycling Center or through related recycling activities, organics diversion activities, and diverted from the landfill. The County projects waste disposal assuming an average increase of approximately 3% per year; however, disposal quantities are greatly affected by economic activity within the service area. 2.3 WASTE DECOMPOSITION PROCESS AND WASTE BY-PRODUCTS Municipal solid waste placed in the NCRC&SL will undergo natural chemical and biological decomposition. The products of biological decomposition of organic wastes are solids, liquids, and gases. Decomposition begins with organic waste products undergoing aerobic (in the presence of free oxygen) decomposition during storage and transport, and for a limited period after placement in the landfill. Aerobic decomposition continues until available oxygen is depleted, after which anaerobic (lacking oxygen) decomposition becomes dominant and proceeds until the biological material is decomposed. Anaerobic decomposition produces landfill gas (LFG) which is approximately 50% methane and carbon dioxide with other trace components. LFG production will continue for a few years to hundreds of years, depending on conditions. The rate of gas production depends on a number of factors, including refuse composition, oxygen present, moisture content, pH, alkalinity, and temperature. At NCRC&SL, contributions of moisture from outside sources to the waste mass, and thus the rate of decomposition, will be limited because: • Precipitation is low. • Surface water management consists of diverting surface water run-on away from active areas of the landfill. • Daily cover limits infiltration of precipitation that falls directly onto the landfill. • Final cover will be placed over all fill areas to minimize infiltration into the waste mass. • Landfill staff periodically inspect the cover on filled areas for low spots that could allow ponding water.