An integrated approach to suitability assessment of municipal solid waste landfills in New South Wales, Australia

Appropriate planning and strategies in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management could significantly decrease environmental and economic costs imposing on both management authorities and local communities. MSW landfill siting has been a growing challenge since unsuitability of landfills could cause destructive impacts on the environment and human health in addition to economic costs. In this study, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) are utilised in an integrated decision-making framework to develop an efficient Suitability Index (SI) to assess the suitability of landfills of New South Wales, Australia, with respect to a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria. A preliminary factors map and a concluding composite SI map are developed in the geographic information system environment, and a solid ranking scheme is proposed to assess the landfills. A wide range of statistical analysis is conducted to obtain practical and specific results for different divisions in three different managerial scenarios. Comprehensiveness of the applied decision-making model, efficiency of the developed SI and adequacy of the performed statistical analysis provide a competent supporting tool for the authorities for ongoing landfills replacement plans, rehabilitation plans and future landfill siting programs.