Municipal solid waste landfills are significant but often underappreciated sources of PFAS contamination in groundwater and nearby water supplies. Landfills accept PFAS-containing products throughout their operational lives, and leachate — the liquid generated as water percolates through waste — concentrates PFAS and other contaminants before migrating into surrounding environments.
PFAS in Municipal Landfills
Consumer products containing PFAS — food packaging, carpeting, clothing, cookware, firefighting equipment, and dozens of other categories — are disposed of in municipal landfills. As precipitation infiltrates landfill cells, it leaches PFAS from these materials. PFAS concentrations in landfill leachate commonly range from hundreds to tens of thousands of parts per trillion, substantially higher than the concentrations of concern in drinking water.
Pathways to Drinking Water
Improperly lined landfills or those with liner failures allow leachate to escape into surrounding soil and groundwater. Even well-lined modern landfills generate leachate that must be managed, and some facilities discharge treated leachate to surface waters that serve as drinking water sources. Monitoring of wells near landfills for PFAS has found elevated concentrations at numerous sites.
Filtration for Affected Communities
Households with wells near landfills in PFAS-affected regions should test their water annually for PFAS using EPA Method 533 or 537.1. If contamination is detected, treatment selection should account for the complex PFAS mixture typical of landfill-influenced water — which often includes short-chain compounds that challenge carbon-only systems. Reverse osmosis or ion exchange combined with activated carbon provides broader coverage for the diverse PFAS mixtures landfill leachate introduces.