Sanitary landfills are considered a solution to the problem of increasing solid waste generation. However, these places can become sources of active contamination through leachate leakage. Investigating these locations is necessary to identify contaminated areas and carry out remediation processes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify areas contaminated by the disposal of solid waste in sanitary landfills in Brazil, as well as the analyzed environmental matrices, the investigation techniques used, and the parameters evaluated. The selection of articles was based on a systematic review in peerreviewed scientific article databases (Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Scielo). Eleven studies were selected, from which the use of indirect (4) and direct (7) methods were verified; analyses were performed on soil (2), surface water (3), and groundwater (4) matrices. The main parameters evaluated were physicochemical and metal concentration. Despite the confirmation of contamination, it was found that there is no protocol used for the investigation of areas contaminated by the disposal of solid waste in these studies. The method of collection and depth of the samples may imply significant differences in the results of the physical-chemical analyses. Therefore, geophysical methods are recommended to assist in sampling planning, following sampling standards and protocols, and the inclusion of new parameters to be analyzed.