Of Infrared Expertise
Plus Alaska & Puerto Rico
Not Drones
For Facility Decision-Makers
Landfill fire detection uses aircraft-mounted infrared sensors to identify abnormal heat patterns associated with subsurface combustion, smoldering waste, and other elevated thermal conditions across active and closed landfill sites. These anomalies can be difficult to identify from the ground when heat is developing below the surface.
AITscan collects and georeferences thermal imagery across the landfill footprint so operators, engineers, and environmental teams can focus follow-up investigation on suspected hotspots. The same aerial survey can also help identify thermal patterns that may be associated with methane migration or gas-collection system performance when evaluated alongside site conditions and existing monitoring data.
The resulting dataset can support landfill operations, safety planning, GCCS review, post-closure monitoring, and regulatory documentation. For broader environmental or municipal infrastructure needs, AITscan also provides pollution and sewer leak detection using aircraft-based infrared surveys.
Ground-based thermography and short-range platforms can be useful for a known cell, exposed area, or isolated hotspot. For active landfills, closed sites, and multi-site portfolios, aircraft-based landfill fire detection can provide broader thermal coverage while keeping personnel away from areas where subsurface combustion or gas hazards may be present.
AITscan can collect the full landfill footprint within a coordinated flight window, helping create a consistent thermal dataset across working cells, capped areas, slopes, perimeter zones, and gas-collection infrastructure. That consistency makes it easier to compare thermal anomalies across the site and determine which areas warrant closer investigation.
Aircraft-based collection is also valuable because suspected subsurface combustion may develop before obvious surface smoke or visible distress appears. A site-wide thermal survey can help operators identify elevated-temperature zones earlier and focus ground verification where the strongest anomalies are present.
For operations, compliance, and environmental teams, the value goes beyond coverage. Georeferenced thermal findings can support combustion-response planning, GCCS review, post-closure stewardship, and regulatory documentation while reducing the need to send personnel across every part of the site during the initial inspection.
Subsurface combustion can escalate quickly when it is discovered late. A small oxidation event can develop into a prolonged response involving engineered intervention, regulator coordination, gas-collection adjustments, and significant operational disruption. Landfill fire detection helps operators identify elevated thermal zones before visible smoke or obvious surface distress becomes the first warning sign.
The financial impact is not limited to the combustion response itself. Operators may face additional costs tied to equipment mobilization, excavation, GCCS modifications, compliance reporting, monitoring, and extended site management. Earlier identification gives operations and engineering teams more time to investigate suspected hotspots and plan a controlled response.
Methane-related anomalies can create a second layer of risk. Changes outside the expected gas-collection footprint may trigger additional investigation, reporting, or capital work, particularly where Title V, Subpart Cf, or state air-quality requirements apply. A site-wide thermal dataset can provide stronger documentation for reviewing those conditions alongside existing GCCS and monitoring data.
Regular aerial surveys can also create a longitudinal record of the landfill’s thermal condition. That history can help operators compare recurring anomalies, evaluate changes after GCCS expansion or corrective work, support post-closure stewardship, and demonstrate an active monitoring program when regulators or other stakeholders request documentation.
For sites where leachate, stormwater, or receiving-water concerns overlap with landfill operations, AITscan also provides pollution and sewer leak detection using aircraft-based infrared surveys.
