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Landfill leachate is a term that describes the liquid that leaches down through a landfill.  This liquid can come from the waste buried in the landfill or from rainwater that percolates down through the soil covering the waste.  In either case, the liquid can contain a toxic brew of chemicals from the buried waste.

Phytocapping is a relatively new way of creating a landfill cover.  Since 1976, the standard practice for covering a landfill has been to use a cover of compacted clay, composite plastic geomembranes or both.  These covers were then usually buried in 18 inches of earth and soil that can sustain native plant life.