Identification of suitable areas for disposal of urban waste using spatial analysis (Case study: Hamidiyeh county)

Background: One of the most important environmental challenges of many developing countries is the disposal of urban waste as a sustainable solution. This study aimed to determine the most suitable location for the landfill in Hamidiyeh County using the hierarchical analysis model (AHP) and (GIS). Methods: At first, 11 criteria were selected in three socioeconomic, hydrological, and geomorphological environments as effective criteria. Then the spatial data in the GIS software was transformed into new information layers. Each of the criteria and sub-criteria was weighted through the process of AHP according to the importance of them in locating the landfill. Results: The highest and the lowest weight belonged to socioeconomic criterion and the geomorphological criterion with a weight of 0.594 and 0.157, respectively. Finally, the appropriate location map was created for the landfill in four classes including completely appropriate, appropriate, inappropriate, and completely inappropriate. The results showed that 60% of the area was suitable for the landfill site. The site proposed for landfill based on the estimated land area for the next 20 years, was the C site located in the northwest with an area of 2505.788 hectares. In general, C site was more suitable than other sites, and there was little risk for pollution of surface water and environment. It also had the lowest cost of transporting and depositing waste to the landfill, in compliance with the environmental conditions. Conclusion: The selected site should be considered by Hamidiyeh municipal waste management authorities to bury waste, concerning the unsuitable location of the current landfill site of the city. Keywords: Urban Waste, Site Selection, AHP, GIS, Hamidiye