Assessment of landfill site suitability using GIS, remote sensing, and the multi-criteria decision-making (AHP) approach, Ethiopia

Solid waste management (SWM) in Ethiopian cities is a significant public health, economic, and environmental issue, with access to suitable disposal locations becoming challenging due to social, environmental, economic, and technical factors. This study aims to propose suitable landfill sites for Debrebirhan Town's solid waste disposal using an integrated survey mechanism, including geographical information system, remote sensing, and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), to address limiting factors. Economic, social, and environmental data were used for the suitable site selection. Satellite images were processed by ERDAS IMAGINE Software, and ArcGIS software was used to identify and map the potential landfill sites. The suitability map was produced by the combined effect of the weights of the criteria and the suitability of the factor maps. The result is summarized with four suitability levels labeled as highly suitable (23%), moderately suitable (51.75%), less suitable (0.25%), and unsuitable (25%). The most suitable landfill sites were found in three locations in the west, north-west, and north directions of Debrebirhan Town that fulfill the economic feasibility, environmental safety, and social acceptability requirements for solid waste disposal. The findings are relevant for governmental decision-making and policy framework implementation.