aterro

Aterro is a Portuguese term with several related meanings in construction and environmental management. In civil engineering and geomatics, it refers to earth fill or an embankment created by depositing soil, rock or other materials and compacting them to raise ground level, form foundations, or shape terrain for roads, railways, levees, or terraces.

In waste management, the most common usage is for a landfill, specifically an aterro sanitário (sanitary landfill). This is a facility for the disposal of municipal solid waste where waste is deposited in layers, covered regularly, and managed with systems for leachate collection, gas extraction, and monitoring. Modern landfills aim to minimize environmental impacts and operate under regulatory standards that address containment, monitoring, and closure requirements.

Aterro can also refer more generally to earthworks and fill in land reclamation, flood control projects, or construction of raised platforms. The term thus covers both the material used for filling and the finished raised area.

Regulatory considerations are central to the management of both meanings. For earthworks, standards govern compaction, stability, drainage, and compatibility with adjacent structures. For landfills, siting, liner systems, groundwater protection, gas management, daily and final cover, and long-term post-closure stewardship are key concerns, typically overseen by environmental authorities.

Etymology and usage: the word derives from aterrar, to bury or fill with earth. It is widely used in Portugal, Brazil and other Portuguese‑speaking regions to denote both the engineered fill and the studied landfill site.