Finding new space for landfills is difficult due to land availability, stringent environmental regulations, and public sentiment. So other means of waste disposal, such as hauling it to a distant landfill, or incinerating it, will have to be resorted to. These methods may be unpopular with the public involved. By studying settlement due to biodegradation, ways to increase settlement can be found, allowing for additional waste disposal capacity in operating, and closed landfills.

Existing theoretical models are based on rheological concepts, not on biodegradation. So, they do not realistically model settlement. In this study, a model to determine the rate, and magnitude of settlement due to biodegradation was formulated. The results of the model were then compared to those of existing theoretical models, and no correlation could be made. However, the settlement predicted by the proposed model did compare favorably with Sowers model which is based on field data. To verify the proposed model, an experiment was set up to measure settlement and gas generation in a waste sample.