The Evaluation of Municipal Landfill Sites in North of Iran through Comparing BC Guideline and Iran Legislation

Abstract

<p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">Selection of landfill site is a complex process which demands many diverse criteria.</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The significance of the present study lies in the fact that it tends to evaluate the suitability of the existing municipal landfill sites in the west area of Mazandaran province, located in north of Iran, and the south coast of Caspian Sea. In order to carry out this evaluation, 3 guidelines are used.</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">After reviewing all the specified criteria in each of the guidelines,</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the authenticity of each deposit site</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">of the study area and the entire area also was examined; and</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">eventually the appropriate areas were identified.</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">As a result, 62.38 percent of the study area according to the guideline of British Columbia, 25 percent according to the Iran department of environment, and the 48.5</span><span> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">percent according to the management and planning organization of Iran are suitable for landfill siting.</span> </p

A Comparative Evaluation of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Sites in Northern Iran

“…The elevation of the studied area varies from 27 meters below sea level to almost 4800 meters above sea level because of locating between the Alborz mountain range and the Caspian Sea. There are three distinct geomorphologic conditions with different weather conditions in the studies area; In Iran, similarly to the other developing countries, landfilling has continued as customarily used procedure despite the increased attention to develop the MSW management (Yazdani et al, 2013;Eskandari et al, 2012;Sumathi et al, 2008). Landfilling sanitary municipal solid waste, just like any other engineering project, requires basic information and planning.…”

“…The gathered data were then converted into a point data. Thematic maps, characterizing the affecting factors, were generated for landfill sites evaluation (Yazdani et al, 2013). The map layers of the evaluation criteria in the study area are shown in Fig.…”

“…The location of a disposal centre is an important factor, which should be considered in construction of any new centre (Shahabi, 2008). Although, the municipal solid waste (MSW) management has been developed worldwide, it is still in a critical status in Iran (Abdoli, 2005;Yazdani et al, 2013). In most Iranian cities, landfills are not used.…”

“…Numerous problems are seen in the landfill sites in Iran including those in Mazandaran province. Open-air waste burning, open-pit dumping and unsafe disposal considerations are common procedures in this province which can result in irreparable damages in the environment and also on society health (Yazdani et al, 2013 and2015a;Calvo et al, 2005;Calvo et al, 2007;Diaz et al, 2005). Some land degradations caused by landfills have been previously reported, for instance, the impacts of landfills on soil quality.…”

“…The landfill sites are serious issues in the western part of Mazandaran due to the geographic conditions, including the proximity of forests and the sea, high groundwater levels and high tourists in holiday seasons, this region is in a more sensitive condition than the other parts of Mazandaran province (Yazdani et al, 2013). After the evaluation of landfill sites and showing the indications of land degradation, it is essential to restore these lands.…”