Title:

Municipal Solid Waste Suitable Disposal Site Selection: Case Study, Wolkite Town,
Ethiopia

Authors:

 Yenenesh Hailu*
 Terefe Hanchiso
 Abreham Bereta

Affiliation:

Department of Natural Resources Management, Wolkite University, Ethiopia

Submission Date:

July 10, 2019

Published Date:

July 30, 2019

Corresponding Author:

Yenenesh Hailu, Department of Natural Resources Management, Wolkite University,

Ethiopia

Citation:

Yenenesh Hailu, Terefe Hanchiso, Abreham Bereta. Municipal Solid Waste Suitable
Disposal Site Selection, Case Study, Wolkite Town, Ethiopia. Int J Environ Sci Nat Res.
2019; 20(4): 556044. DOI:10.19080/IJESNR.2019.20.556044

Abstract
Solid waste disposal is a critical public health concern. Selecting an appropriate site
minimizes environmental impact and forms a sound basis for solid waste management.
This study aims to locate a suitable landfill site for Wolkite Town by considering multiple
factors such as land use/land cover, soil, slope, and proximity to surface water,
groundwater supply well points, roads, public facilities, and cultural sites. Data analysis
was conducted using GIS software, and candidate landfill sites were identified. The
municipality is recommended to use the indicated landfill site rather than the former
unsuitable landfill.

Keywords: Solid waste; Disposal; Landfill; GIS

Introduction
A landfill is a method of solid waste disposal that functions without creating hazards to
public health or safety. Landfilling is necessary for municipal solid waste disposal, but
every landfill has a finite capacity. Extending the life of landfills can be achieved through
recycling, composting, and incineration.

In developing countries, inappropriate handling and disposal of municipal solid waste

lead to environmental degradation, including air pollution, soil contamination, and
surface and groundwater pollution. Shortage of land for waste disposal and
inappropriate landfill sites are significant problems in urban areas, negatively impacting
human health and the environment.

Selecting an appropriate site for waste disposal minimizes environmental impact and
forms a sound basis for further management. This process involves considering various
factors such as public health, topography, hydrology, geology, drainage systems,
weather, land availability, proximity to residential and industrial areas, distance from the
city, cost, and future land use.

In Ethiopia, only a small fraction of waste reaches dump sites or landfills, with a
significant portion being indiscriminately disposed of in drainage lines, open spaces, or
informally burned. Wolkite Town faces growing urban waste generation and
management problems, with poor solid waste management practices and a single major
landfill site located 12 km from the town. This study aims to identify environmentally,
socially, and economically friendly candidate landfill sites in Wolkite Town.

Methodologies

Spatial Data Collection

This study considered environmental, social, and economic factors for landfill site
selection. Data on water points, rivers, roads, administrative offices, water facilities,
public service centers, land use/land cover, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), soil, and
administrative boundaries were obtained from the Ethiopian Mapping Agency. The DEM
was used to derive slope and drainage patterns. The municipality's master plan was
digitized and geo-referenced in ArcGIS. Data preprocessing for coordinate and
projection conversion was performed using QGIS and ArcGIS software. Observations
were made to identify the current open landfill site, capturing data such as location,
altitude, ground control points, distance from main features, and pictures.

Spatial Data Analysis

Solid waste landfill site selection is a complex process involving multiple conflicting
criteria. This research used land use/land cover, soil, and slope as factors, and
proximity to surface water, groundwater supply well points, roads, public facilities, and
cultural sites as constraints. All factors and constraints were classified into five classes
(very high, high, moderate, low, and very low) with values ranging from 1 to 5. Weights
for each class were derived using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in IDRISI and
ILWIS software. Models for data processing, management, and analysis were built in
ArcGIS ModelBuilder.

Result and Discussion

Proposing New Suitable Site for Landfill

Locating a new landfill area requires considering multiple factors, data, analysis, and
issues. These factors include public health, environmental aspects, topography,
hydrology, geology, drainage systems, weather, land availability, proximity to residential
and industrial areas, distance from the city, drainage systems, cost, and current/future
land use.

Slope: Slope is a determining topographic factor in landfill site selection. Gentle slopes
are more suitable than other slope classes. In this research, slope with 0-2% is
considered low, 2-8% very high, 8-15% high, 15-30% moderate, and >30% very low
suitability. The middle part of the municipality is not suitable due to strongly sloping
topography, while the northern and southern tips are suitable.

Distance from Settlement: Landfill sites should not be located near settlement areas to
mitigate health problems, odor complaints, noise, decreased property values, and
scavenging animal complaints. Multi-ring buffers of 300m, 300-500m, 500-1000m,
1000-1500m, and >1500m were created to classify areas according to their suitability.
Areas nearer than 1000m are considered unsuitable, while areas farther than 1000m
are suitable.

Land Use: The current and future use of land is an important criterion for landfill site
selection. Land with less socio-economic, environmental, and political value is
recommended. Bare land is considered most suitable, while grassland, open shrub
 land, and closed shrub land are rated as moderately suitable, suitable, and less
suitable, respectively.

Distance from Main Road: Landfill sites should not be located very near to main roads
due to public health concerns but should also not be too far to hamper transportation
and access. Buffer distances of 100m, 100-500m, 500-1000m, 1000-1500m, and
>1500m were used to classify suitability.

Proximity to Surface Water: Proximity to streams, rivers, and groundwater well points is
an important environmental criterion. Multi-ring buffers of 100m, 500-1000m, and
>1000m were set to identify suitable sites. Areas within 100m of water points are
considered very less suitable, while areas away from 1000m are very highly suitable.

AHP Weight Derivation: Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) methodology was used for
assigning criteria weights for each factor map. Different weights were given based on
the preferences of each factor relative to others. The IDRISI weight module utilizes pair-
wise comparison to develop a set of factor weights that sum to 1.0.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This research used a spatial multi-criteria evaluation approach based on GIS analysis to
locate the best sites for solid waste disposal in Wolkite Town, Ethiopia. The results
identified three potential sites suitable for solid waste disposal, which could be useful for
the municipality. The municipality is recommended to use the suggested site for solid
waste landfill and change the former one.

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