Identifying Suitable Solid Waste Landfill Sites Using Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

The required skill sets for dealing with solid waste management are lacking in developing countries. Further, this issue is compounded by the rapid growth of waste generation in those countries. This study helps to address this problem by performing a landfill site selection for the Twin Cities of Pakistan. The study uses a multi-criteria decision model for siting a suitable landfill utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The use of geospatial technology provides network-based spatial analysis and assists in modeling practical network situations. In particular, this analysis accounts for proximity to urban/residential areas, road networks, water streams, and water reservoirs/lakes. It also accounts for land slope and land use/land cover. The results indicate that 96.3% of the Twin Cities area is unsuitable, 1.6% is moderately suitable, and 2.1% is most suitable. The results of the study identify appropriate sites for more detailed analysis based on current and future land use, population growth, and waste generation. As similar challenges of handling solid waste are common in developing countries, this study can serve as a guide in other developing countries.