This chapter presents a shear hardening plasticity model with a nonlinear strength criterion and an appropriate stress‒dilatancy formulation to numerically investigate the bearing behavior of landfills. Simulations of drained triaxial tests are conducted to demonstrate the model’s ability to capture the mechanical behavior of municipal solid waste. The bearing response and failure mode of a landfill foundation are analyzed via 2D and 3D finite element simulations. Unlike the general shear failure mode predicted by rigid plasticity, the hardening model yields a localized failure mode, and prior to failure, a larger reaction force is generated for the same level of settlement.