Ghazipur landfill in India continues to expand despite capacity limits

The Ghazipur landfill, located on the eastern edge of New Delhi near Ghaziabad, continues to expand despite reaching its maximum capacity in 2002. The massive waste site covers an area larger than 50 football fields and stands approximately 72 meters high.

Local residents face severe health risks due to the landfill. The site produces intense odors, particularly during summer, and frequent fires release thick, toxic smoke that causes respiratory issues for nearby communities. The unstable structure also poses a physical danger; in September 2017, a massive collapse buried people and vehicles under tons of waste.

Despite repeated promises from local authorities to mitigate the damage, hundreds of tons of new waste are added to the site daily, making it one of the largest landfills in the world.