Drilling waste consists of hydrated, fine-grained rock drillings with thixotropic properties, which depend on the rocks being bored and the contents of applied drilling fluids. Taking into account physical-chemical properties of minerals as well as ion impurities included in drilling waste one can easily create thixotropic systems which provide for good waste penetration into the porous structure of deposits, formation of semi-flexible sealing layers, erosion control of covered or filled deposits and fermentation processes, etc. The above properties brought about the effective utilization of drilling waste for preventing the self-heating and dusting of dumping grounds as well as dusting of waste and dusting materials, and for sealing and re-cultivation of mining-waste dumps and leveling the degraded areas. Closing down of worked-out or shut-down municipal landfills covers, among other things, their leveling and degassing, surface sealing, biological recultivation, eluate disposal from dumping ground body and monitoring the landfill after its close-down. The desired effects can be achieved e.g., by covering the landfill surface with appropriate layers, usually three of them, namely: a degassing layer, proper sealing layer and biological recultivation layer. By means of drilling waste selection, separation of mud fraction from drilling waste and through addition of clay substances or/and binding agents to drilling waste, there can be acquired some materials meeting the requirements for particular layers.
