Landfill site selection using multi criteria decision making: Influential factors for comparing locations

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Waste Management

Background:

• Landfilling remains a key component of solid waste management despite recycling efforts.
• Improper landfilling poses significant risks to human health and the environment.
• Careful landfill site selection is essential to mitigate these risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of landfill site selection methodologies.
• To emphasize the application of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in this field.
• To discuss commonly employed factors in landfill site selection.

Main Methods:

• Review of various landfill site selection techniques.
• Focus on MCDA methods including Weighted Linear Combination (WLC), Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and its fuzzy variant (F-AHP), TODIM and its fuzzy variant, Analytic Network Process (ANP) and its fuzzy variant (F-ANP), and Grey Systems Theory.
• Discussion of numerous site selection factors.

Main Results:

• MCDA methods are frequently utilized for landfill site selection.
• A wide array of environmental, geological, and socio-economic factors are considered.
• Specific methods like AHP, F-AHP, ANP, and F-ANP are prominent.

Conclusions:

• Effective landfill site selection requires careful consideration of multiple criteria.
• MCDA provides a robust framework for evaluating complex site selection decisions.
• The identified factors and methods offer valuable guidance for sustainable waste management practices.