Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

Landfills, even properly designed, constructed, and operated, are facilities that in the future can be a potential source of pollution of surface and groundwater and atmospheric air. Especially, old municipal landfills were very often established in inappropriate soil and water conditions, which contributed much more to the release of toxic leachate into the ground. This happened due to lack of sufficient regulation and control systems in this area. Reclamation of degraded sites became a kind of rescue for contaminated areas. However, this process was not always carried out in a proper way. This study presents the trends of landfills sealing and their reclamation over the years in different countries.