# landfill

/ˈɫændˌfɪɫ/ (US) · /lˈændfɪl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/landfill
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. disposal site

noun · CEFR B2

a large hole or area of land where a city's rubbish is buried under layers of earth.

For teachers: a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial under layers of soil.

- The city is running out of space in its local landfill for all the plastic waste.
- Environmental engineers are monitoring the landfill for methane emissions and potential groundwater contamination from decomposing organic matter.

### 2. waste material

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the actual rubbish that is sent to be buried.

For teachers: waste material that is destined for or has been disposed of in a burial site. Uncountable in this sense.

- We need to reduce the amount of landfill we produce every year.
- The new government policy aims to divert at least sixty percent of household landfill into composting and recycling streams.

### 3. to bury waste

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to get rid of rubbish by burying it in a large hole in the ground.

For teachers: to dispose of waste by burying it in a landfill site. Transitive — takes a direct object.

- It is much cheaper to landfill waste than to process it for recycling.
- The municipality decided to landfill the non-hazardous industrial byproducts rather than investing in a costly high-temperature incineration facility.

## Examples

- Most of our household trash ends up in a landfill.
- The city is running out of space, so they are looking for a new location for a landfill.
- Environmental engineers must carefully monitor the landfill to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking into the local groundwater supply.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.