Site Selection for Municipal Solid Waste Landfill: Case Study of Artvin, Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to select a landfill site for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in the central district of Artvin Province in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Although Artvin has a smaller population compared to other provinces in the region, it has become increasingly important as it hosts sensitive ecological areas as well as dams used for energy production. Currently, the MSW collected in the provincial center is disposed through uncontrolled dumping. The topographic structure of the region is rather rough, which makes the selection and application of disposal methods difficult. However, increasing detrimental impact on the environment justifies the immediate necessity for a new landfill site. These considerations necessitate a study for landfill site selection in the region. Many different factors are considered when selecting the site for a landfill, and, thus, the process is not a simple one. In this study, various factors, including geology, slope, land use, distance from settlements, roads, surface waters, faults, and protected sites, as well as the landslide and flood susceptibility of the site, were taken into consideration. These factors were standardized using the fuzzy membership functions and weighted through the analytical hierarchy process. Spatial analysis in the GIS environment revealed that 99.91 percent of the study area was considered unsuitable, 0.08 percent moderately suitable, and only 0.01 percent suitable for landfilling. The study identified two sites that can be used as a landfill.