Geocomposites were originally designed to replace a sand or gravel drainage layer. Geocomposite is made by laminating a nonwoven geotextile to either one or both sides of a geonet. The textile is designed to filter out particles to prevent the geonet from clogging. Commonly the Geocomposite is installed either above or below a geomembrane. In a landfill, the product is installed to collect leachate or methane gas. Some of the factors that must be considered when specifying a geocomposite are the desired transmissivity, soil gradation and clogging factors.

Geonet is a material made of HDPE that is designed to transmit both gasses and liquids in the horizontal plane. The geonet is most commonly installed between two layers of liner to act as a leak detection zone. If the primary liner is breached, the liquid will flow to a sump that is monitored for the presence of liquids. The thickness and structure of the geonet will determine the flow capacity of the geonet.