Europe’s 500,000 Aging Landfills Leak Toxic Waste

The environmental report Toxic Lands exposes a severe pollution crisis at Europe’s aging landfill sites. The report reveals approximately 500,000 landfills across Europe, 90% of which are outdated sites constructed before the EU’s 1999 environmental directive. These older facilities generally lack adequate leak-proofing measures. Among the over 60,000 identified high-risk landfills, 30% are located in flood-prone areas, 10,000 are situated in drinking water source zones, and over 3,000 are within nature reserves. In one UK nature reserve, leachate contained PFAS levels 20 times above safety standards. Landfills along the French and British coasts have also leaked heavy metals like arsenic and lead. Currently, about 80% of the UK population lives within 2 kilometers of such landfills.