CEDALION AND ORION: A TWO-STEP DECISION SUPPORT TOOL TO ALLOW SMART ELFM PROJECT PLANNING, PRIORITISATION AND SUSTAINABLE INTERIM USE (RAWFILL PROJECT)

Abstract

(Enhanced) landfill mining (ELFM) is a sustainable waste management strategy which supports the circular economy and reduces the environmental risks related to landfills. To facilitate and encourage stakeholders to launch (E)LFM-projects, RAWFILL has developed (1) an Enhanced Landfill Inventory Framework (ELIF), (2) an innovative landfill characterization methodology combining geophysical imaging and guided sampling (HADESS) and (3) a two-step Decision Support Tool (DST) to allow smart (E)LFM-project planning and prioritization. Based on the Interreg Europe COCOON experiences, the (E)LFM-concept was broadened to Dynamic Landfill Management (DLM), a sustainable and active long-term management of former landfills. DSTs improve decision-making by increasing the efficiency and lowering the uncertainty. The two-step approach offers an efficient and cost-effective solution. The DST 1 (Cedalion) requires limited data and provides guidance to the next step. The result is a ranking score on 4 scenario’s: waste to materials, waste to energy, waste to land interim use. The DST 2 (Orion) provides an overview of relevant tools that can assist the user in the further project development, like estimations about the feasibility of a business case, simulating scenario’s or finding sustainable interim solutions. The latter, interim use, is the novelty in this dual DST and should be seen as a loop in the roadmap. To summarize, the innovative approach of RAWFILL is the broadening of the resource scope at landfills and their comprehensive management, spanning the whole project cycle: from first screening to final redevelopment, including sustainable management and interim uses.