Conservation Biology​​​ in the Boreal
HOW DOES NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR COMPARE??​
Municipal Solid Waste: Landfill
Robin Hood Bay was first used as a military base in the 1940s, initially as a training facility, and now has been used as a landfill site since the 1960s. In 2007, the provincial government officially designated Robin Hood Bay as the Eastern Regional Waste Management Facility. (6)
​Research of the landfill conducted in the early 2000s revealed ​several environmental concerns​, ​most importantly regarding Skerries Brook (the stream draining the landfill site). Within this stream researchers have found various polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs)​, as well as metals displaying elevated levels above the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines. (6)
In addition, excessive amounts of ammonia and limited dissolved oxygen resulting from the landfill site are extremely harmful to aquatic species which inhabit the stream. Samplings of near shore marine environments within close proximity to Skerries Brook have also revealed contamination. Wetlands which are located directly downstream of the landfill site appear to be providing some form of bioremediation of leachate, however, loadings coming from the site are of a higher volume capacity of contaminants than the wetlands are able to handle. (6)​
The Environmental Protection Act (Waste Disposal Regulations) of Newfoundland and Labrador require certain parameters for selecting sites under provincial regulations. Criteria for waste disposal in the province were introduced in order to help monitor, control and ensure safe and proper disposal of materials. These are examples of some of these criteria (7):​

- the site should be 300 m from a road and not visible from the road ​
- the site should be 1.6 km away from any residential area ​
- the site should have a 60-meter wide area around the site of cleared soil to serve as a fire break ​
- site should be 150 m away from brooks, rivers, and ponds​

Waste disposal operations inevitably allow surface waters to enter the site where it makes contact with exposed waste and becomes leachate. Suggestions have been put forth to construct surface water management ditches around the entire landfill in order to divert precipitation from making contact with the waste (6). Engaging input from stakeholders such as nearby residential/ commercial property owners, waste haulers, etc. is an additional step needed in order to make sure the government is taking the necessary precautions for waste management at the Robin Hood Bay landfill site (6).

In July 2012, the City of St. John's temporarily shut down the Robin Hood Bay landfill due to suspected contamination from hazardous waste, including asbestos (8).
