Integrating Local Community Perception and Expert’s Knowledge in Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) for Landfill Siting in Musanze Secondary City

Abstract

Illegal dumping and landfilling of solid waste is a thoughtful concern nowadays. Solid wastes are disposed in open dumping sites and there is a lack of effective selection of potential and suitable site (s) for landfill, due to the ignorance of all criteria to be integrated in process of decision making. The purpose of this research is to find the most suitable site(s) for the construction of modern landfills using spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) and addressing the existing gap in involving the local community in the process of siting. Seven criteria of siting were selected combining national and international guidelines for landfill siting criteria. Selected criteria thresholding and ranking decision were grounded on local community preferences. Suitable criteria proximity distances were assessed with a questionnaire survey and further weighted using Expert’s knowledge depending upon their relative importance. Final spatial overlay analysis results showed that the majority of the total area (98.31%) is classified as unsuitable, with 0.05% of the total area being less suitable, 1.21% moderately suitable and only 0.43% of the total area is most suitable. Only 2 sites were found to be qualified as the most suitable and have the capacity of serving at least 10 years. This study is a model for filling the gap of community consultation during the process of landfill siting. It is also a very supportive tool for decision-makers to reduce “Not in my backyard” (NIMBY) phenomenon of waste disposal as well as environmental problems associated with illegal dumping.

Keywords: Landfill Siting, Expert’s knowledge, Local community preferences, Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation.