Abstract:
The exponential rise in urban population and the resulting urban waste generation in developing countries over the past few
decades, and the resulting accelerated urbanization phenomenon has brought to the fore the necessity to engineer environ-
mentally sustainable and efficient urban waste disposal and management systems. Intelligent and integrated landfill siting is a
difficult, complex, tedious, and protracted process requiring evaluation of many different criteria. Optimized siting decisions
have gained considerable importance in ensuring minimum damage to the various environmental sub-components as well as
reducing the stigma associated with the residents living in its vicinity. This article addresses the siting of a new landfill using
a multi-criteria decision analysis integrated with overlay analysis within a geographical information system. The integrated
multi-criteria decision analysis–geographical information system employs a two-stage analysis, synergistically, to form a
spatial decision support system for landfill siting in fast-growing urban centers. Several correlated factors are considered
in the siting process including transportation systems, water resources, land use, sensitive sites, and air quality. Weightings
were assigned to each criterion depending upon their relative significance and ratings in accordance with the relative mag-
nitude of impact. The results, analyzed using neighborhood-proximity analysis, show the effectiveness of the system in the
site-selection process for Eldoret Municipality (Kenya), in the short- and long-term solid waste disposal siting options.
