(1) The source of landfill leachate is closely related to the composition and volume of the waste itself. The mandatory implementation of waste sorting can reduce waste generation at the source, achieve dry-wet separation, improve waste composition, reduce the content of perishable waste such as kitchen waste, and decrease the content of toxic and hazardous substances, thereby most extensively reducing the source of landfill leachate.

(2) Technological improvements in the waste collection and transportation chain. With the upgrading of facilities and equipment for the enclosed placement, collection, storage, and transportation of domestic waste, it can effectively prevent the infiltration of natural precipitation, thus reducing the source of leachate.

(3) Standardization of domestic waste landfill site construction. The site selection and structure of a landfill are greatly related to leachate production volume. Complete drainage facilities, intercepting ditches, groundwater drainage systems, and horizontal and vertical anti-seepage systems can maximally reduce the entry of external water sources, such as surface runoff and groundwater infiltration into the landfill site. Thereby, the source of leachate is reduced. Currently, when predicting leachate production volume in many newly built landfills in China, this factor is basically not considered.

After mandatory waste sorting, the source of leachate only needs to consider three aspects: ① A small amount of moisture inherent in the waste itself; ② A small amount of moisture produced by the natural degradation of waste during storage; ③ Natural precipitation. Among these, ① and ② are the main sources of leachate in waste incineration plants, and ③ is the main source of leachate in landfill sites.