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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea

Landfills across England could be leaking harmful toxic ooze, warn experts

Earth mover on an active landfill site.
Many ‘historic’ landfill sites, that often lie under the ground, have not been tested for PFAS pollution. Photograph: Britstock Images Ltd/Alamy

Thousands of polluted landfills across England could be leaking toxic chemicals into the environment and harming people who live nearby, experts have warned.

A few decades ago, the method for getting rid of industrial and domestic waste was to stick it in a hole in the ground, cover it up and hope for the best. It was known as “dilute and disperse” and it assumed toxic substances would seep into the surrounding soils, air and water and become harmless.

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