An aplication of MCDA method to evaluate and select the most suitable landfill sites for urban waste. A project case study for Berat County. Albania

Abstract

Waste management system needs a clear and strict management policy. They also need a process of evaluating and selecting the most appropriate landfill sites that respect the restrictions and constraints dictated by the presence of the population in that area, with respect to ecological ecosystems and other factors. In addition to the geographical and geological criteria and other specifications that are defined by traditional selection procedures, there are new factors adding to the old constraints and limitations. Urban waste is produced in large quantities in our cities, every year. As a result, the number of sites should increase with the population growth as well as the increase in urban waste products. On the other hand, the eligibility criteria and adding constraints and limitations make it more difficult to choose suitable sites. Environmental and local and state regulations limit the number of choices as well as areas and volume of sites making their selection more difficult, posing a real challenge for specialists. Specialists need to use the Geographic Information System (GIS) as well as the method of Multiple Critical Decision Analysis (MCDA) to select the most optimal location. Our study aims to apply MCDA integrated with GIS to select potential sites for urban waste deposition. The method of hierarchy analysis (AHP) will be used to weight and rank the constraints and criteria. This article is part of a potential project we are working to propose to Berat County, Albania.