Landfill mining and reclamation (LFMR) is a process which excavates and processes solid wastes which have previously been landfilled. The process aims to reduce the amount of landfill mass encapsulated within the closed landfill and/or temporarily remove hazardous material to allow protective measures to be taken before the landfill mass is replaced. In the process, mining recovers valuable recyclable materials, a combustible fraction, soil, and landfill space. The aeration of the landfill soil is a secondary benefit with regard to the landfill's future use. The combustible fraction is useful for power generation. The overall appearance of the landfill mining procedure is a sequence of processing machines laid out in a functional conveyor system. The operating principle is to excavate, sieve and sort the landfill material. The Hiriya landfill operated by the Dan Region Authority next to the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, introduced the concept of mining as early as 1953. Waste contains many resources with high value, the most notable of which are non-ferrous metals such as aluminium cans and scrap metal. The concentration of aluminium in many landfills is higher than the concentration of aluminum in bauxite from which the metal is derived. Practical applications Landfill mining is also possible in countries where land is not available for new landfill sites. In this instance landfill space can be reclaimed by the extraction of biodegradable waste and other substances then refilled with wastes requiring disposal. Mining construction landfill sites is the simplest form of landfill mining. Construction landfills in the United States contain three basic components, wood, scrap metal and gypsum, or drywall, along with a minimal amount of other construction materials. The wood collected can be used as fuel in coal burning power plants and the scrap metal reprocessed. European landfills tend to have more masonry from demolished bricks, tiles and concrete. Mining of municipal landfills is more complicated and has to be based on the expected content of the landfill. Older landfills in the United States before 1994 were often capped and closed, essentially entombing the waste, which can be beneficial for waste recovery. However, it can also create a higher risk for toxic waste and leachate exposure, as the landfill has not fully processed the stewing wastes. Mining of bioreactor landfills and properly stabilized modern sanitary landfills provides its own benefits. The biodegradable wastes are more easily sieved out, leaving the non-biodegradable materials readily accessible. The