GIS and Multicriteria Analysis Application on Suitable Site Selection for Municipal Solid Waste Transfer Station in Greater Monrovia, Liberia

Abstract

The inability of existing transfer stations in Greater Monrovia, Liberia, to handle municipal solid waste collected daily from designated collection points for temporary storage and final disposal has resulted in a number of issues such as abandonment of overfilled skip buckets and reinforced concrete bins, indiscriminate waste disposal into drainages, along roadside, river banks, and so on. This situation has also resulted in a number of negative consequences, including environmental degradation, public health concerns, depreciation of the value of adjacent properties, and decrease in the quality of life of the population. The local authorities have made relentless efforts to secure funding through its international partners to construct a well-designed municipal solid waste transfer station, However, due to the study area's topographic complexities, it is difficult for them to select an ideal site for a municipal solid waste transfer station to collect waste from designated and illegal collection points on time. To solve this issue, the research will analyze and identify potential sites while keeping the environment and population within the study area in mind. The research employs a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors, including lithology, slope, drainage density and land use through GIS tool like Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify potential sites that meets sustainable waste management’s requirements. The results showed that 43% of the study area is not suitable, 20% is least suitable, 20% is moderately suitable, 11% is suitable and 6% highly suitable for an environmentally-friendly transfer station. Central Monrovia A and B, and Northwest of Paynesville are areas identified to be suitable for municipal solid waste transfer station.