Suitability of hazard rating systems for air contamination from municipal solid waste dumps and improvements to enhance performance

Abstract

Close vicinity of uncontrolled municipal waste sites (or ‘waste dumps’) to well-populated communities makes the air contamination a prominent hazard from the waste dumps. The hazard rating systems, considered useful in prioritizing these sites for remediation, are investigated for their suitability to assess air contamination of municipal solid waste (MSW) dumps. Out of the eight systems employed in the study, six rating systems respond well to changes in site conditions when applied to hazardous waste sites. However for MSW sites, all eight rating systems give scores in a narrow range and do not perform well. One system is selected for improvement by modifying the indicators for waste quantity and rainfall and, introducing the indicators for waste composition and fresh waste quantity using expert judgment. The modified system performs well for MSW dumps, produces air contamination hazard ratings in a wider range, and responds to higher number of scenarios in sensitivity analysis, thus making it an appropriate tool for site prioritization for remediation.