Landfill mining: Case study of a successful metals recovery project

•We estimate the content and value of metals in MSW landfills in the US.•We analyze a successful mining operation specifically for metals in ash monofill.•Case study documents economic feasibility of mining for metals in ash monofill. Worldwide, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is increasing and landfills continue to be the dominant method for managing solid waste. Because of inadequate diversion of reusable and recoverable materials, MSW landfills continue to receive significant quantities of recyclable materials, especially metals. The economic value of landfilled metals is significant, fostering interest worldwide in recovering the landfilled metals through mining. However, economically viable landfill mining for metals has been elusive due to multiple barriers including technological challenges and high costs of processing waste. The objective of this article is to present a case study of an economically successful landfill mining operation specifically to recover metals. The mining operation was at an ashfill, which serves a MSW waste-to-energy facility. Landfill mining operations began in November 2011. Between December 2011 and March 2015, 34,352Mt of ferrous and non-ferrous metals were recovered and shipped for recycling, which consisted of metals >125mm (5.2%), 50–125mm (85.9%),