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Regional non-hazardous landfill site selection by integrating fuzzy logic, AHP and geographic information systems

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Abstract

This study presents a geographic information systems-based multi-criteria site selection of non-hazardous regional landfill in Polog Region, Macedonia. The multi-criteria decision framework integrates legal requirements and physical constraints that relate to environmental and economic concerns and builds a hierarchy model for landfill suitability. The methodology is used for preliminary assessment of the most suitable landfill sites by combining fuzzy set theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The fuzzy set theory is used to standardize criteria using different fuzzy membership functions while the AHP is used to establish the relative importance of the criteria. The AHP makes pairwise comparisons of relative importance between hierarchy elements grouped by environmental and economic decision criteria. The landfill suitability is achieved by applying weighted linear combination that uses a comparison matrix to aggregate different importance scenarios associated with environmental and economic objectives. The results from the study suggested that a least suitable landfill area of 1.0% from the total is generated when environmental and economic objectives are valued equally while a most suitable landfill area of 1.8% area is generated when the economic objective is valued higher. Such results are aimed for enhancement of regional landfill site selection in the country that is compliant with modern EU standards.

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Abbreviations

GIS:

Geographic information systems

AHP:

Analytical hierarchy process

MCE:

Multi-criteria evaluation

SDSS:

Spatial decision support system

CR:

Consistency ratio

WLC:

Weighted linear combination

DGRCL:

Decree on General Requirements for all Classes of Landfills

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Acknowledgments

The first author gratefully acknowledges the support from the Fulbright Program for providing the opportunity to conduct this research in the USA. Gratitude is extended to the host institution, the Bowling Green State University, School of Earth, Environment and Society where the research was performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Civil Engineering, University Ss Cyril and Methodius, 1000, Skopje, Macedonia

    Katerina R. Donevska, Milorad Jovanovski & Igor Peševski

  2. School of Earth, Environment and Society, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA

    Pece V. Gorsevski

Authors
  1. Katerina R. Donevska
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  2. Pece V. Gorsevski
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  3. Milorad Jovanovski
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  4. Igor Peševski
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Correspondence to Katerina R. Donevska.

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Donevska, K.R., Gorsevski, P.V., Jovanovski, M. et al. Regional non-hazardous landfill site selection by integrating fuzzy logic, AHP and geographic information systems. Environ Earth Sci 67, 121–131 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1485-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1485-y

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