Ineffective compaction along with extensive use of cover soil are lowering the life expectencies of landfills. Aiming for better compaction is the easiest way to add more operation years for continuing revenues. For increasing the compaction efficiency, the city of Kelowna in Canada purchased a TANA E520 landfill compactor to Glenmore Landfill.

According to Ken Muller, the Solid Waste Supervisor, a total of 20-25% higher compaction has been achieved with TANA E520 compactor over the previous four-wheel compactor in Glenmore Landfill. For Glenmore Landfill, this translates to up to 12-15 more years of operation.

– Because of the cylinders and the width of the whole machine, just one pass compacts everything underneath it. We generally have to drive it three times before we hit our maximum compaction. With the four-wheeled machine there would be space between the wheels that you would have to slide over half a width of the unit to get that material done, Muller says.

– The unit is giving us much better compaction and we burn less fuel because we don’t have to run the unit as much. We no longer have to drive it eight hours per day. We drive it three hours per day and get a better compaction than what were having with  the four-wheel machine, says Muller.

Currently generating revenues of 12 million a year, the city of Kelowna is expecting up to 180 million more from the landfill with new improved landfill operations with TANA E520. 

Since changing from a four-wheel compactor to the twin drum design of TANA E520, the use of cover soil has been decreased greatly. Rather than using 6 inches of cover soil daily, the new operation with TANA compactor only requires a quarter-inch of fibermulch. – It saves us a considerable amount of airspace over the year, says Muller.

City of Kelowna sees the new TANA E520 compactor as an investment. It’s playing a big part on the operations and has shown remarkable improvements over the ineffectiveness caused by previous compactor.

– It’s a completely different configuration and concept in landfill compaction and it seems to be working well. The unit is giving us much better compaction and we burn less fuel because we don’t have to run the unit as much.