Mexican landfill site \'could overflow into canal\'

One of the world’s largest landfill sites, located in Mexico City, is nearing its full capacity and is at risk of spilling into a nearby waterway, it has been claimed.

The local council is attempting to stall plans to close the site as it bids for more time to devise recycling and green energy projects, reported the Times of Malta.

However, according to environment ministry official Mauricio Limon, prolonging closure could see the waste tip into a canal that runs alongside the Nezahualcoyotl landfill site.

He added that "more time in operation means more polluting methane […] tainted aquifers, more contamination of the surrounding areas, damaged wildlife and bad odours".

Currently, 15 per cent of the city’s waste is recycled, the news provider reports.

Last week, a landfill site owned by WRG Waste Services in Scotland kicked up a stink after the firm was fined £8,000 for allowing odours to prevail for over 11 weeks.