Application of modeling based on fuzzy logic with multi-criteria method in determining appropriate municipal landfill sites (case study: Kerman City)

Abstract

Landfill site selection is one of the important steps in the management of municipal solid waste. Due to the detrimental environmental, economic, and ecological effects of landfill site selection, site selection must be done carefully and scientifically. This study aimed at finding the optimal site selection for a municipal landfill in Kerman City that has the least risk in the environment and is economically optimal. At first, the effective criteria were identified and quantified by fuzzy method. Then, the weight of criteria was also determined by analytic network process. Combination of multi-criteria decision-making method and geographic information system was used to analyze data. Then, using environmental impact assessment method, the selected landfill from aspects such as physical and chemical; biological and ecological; sociological and cultural; and economic and operational components were investigated at two stages of construction and operation. The results of multi-criteria decision-making showed that 1.86% of the land area had a high capability for landfill and 19.06% of the area had no capability. Finally, in the field study, three sites were selected because of their greater area, lower slope, and the proximity to the city as the best options for landfill through field survey. Of these three options, site 1 has a higher priority due to its better distance, greater area than the other two sites, and reduction in landfill transport costs. Also, environmental impact assessment of the selected landfill (option 1) showed that, in general, the negative impacts on the environment at the operation stage due to being in the group of very low and low impacts do not have much intensity of action, and this is due to the desired environmental conditions of the selected landfill for construction of a sanitary landfill. The research findings and field observations also showed that the weighted linear combination method and its integration with analytic network process technique have the flexibility and high potential for model decision-making and implementation and provided more accurate and objective results. Moreover, it is more reliable than other methods including analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy and can be used elsewhere to select the best landfill site selection.