Identification of a Suitable Place for Sanitary Landfill in Ilam

Introduction: The location of sanitary landfills is one of the most important environmental issues in cities. If the design of landfills is not appropriate, it will threaten human health. This study aimed to detect a suitable location for a landfill in Ilam, Iran.   Materials & Methods: A questionnaire and consultation with experts were used to conduct the research. For this purpose, three main criteria of the environment (e.g., vegetation, surface water resources, and habitats of animal species), hydrology (e.g., groundwater depth, and distance from springs, wells, as well as aqueducts), and access roads/population centers (e.g., distance from protected areas, the prevailing wind direction, and distance from the main roads) were considered in this study. The data were then weighted based on Analytic Network Process, and Super Decision software was used to integrate the information layers. Subsequently, based on the studied criteria and sub-criteria, four areas were proposed for waste disposal in Ilam. Finally, based on the weight and ranking of criteria, their coefficient, and the paired comparison matrix tables, the most appropriate option was selected for landfilling.   Findings: According to the results, location 1 with a weight of 0.419 and a consistency ratio of 0.05 is the most suitable place for landfilling in Ilam among the four selected options.   Discussions & Conclusions: The results showed that Super Decision software has a good ability to locate the landfill.