A two-level multicriteria DSS for Landfill Site Selection Using GIS: Case Study in Western Macedonia, Greece

One of the major problems in waste management is concerned with the selection appropriate site for the waste disposal. Leakage from landfills and lagoons usually contain significant amounts of contaminants such as ammonia, nitrate, chloride and metals. These contaminants may reach aquifers, degrade the water resource, and become hazardous to human health. In this paper a two-stage, multicriteria evaluation is presented. In the first stage, in order to find the suitable sites, GIS digital map overlay techniques are used. Different siting constraints are considered and numerical and qualitative criteria are applied in an explanatory investigation of the study area. The resulting alternative sites are evaluated using multicriteria evaluation models. In the second stage, quality of life indicators that represent economic efficiency, environmental and technical economic criteria are used to identify the most preferred alternative. The method is applied to a new landfill site in Western Macedonia. The results were acceptable to local communities. Although the amount of data used in this project is kept to a minimum, the system can be expanded to include varieties of information for assisting in the selection of a scientifically correct and socially acceptable solution.