The aim of this study is to define a multi-criteria, web-based approach that can be used to manage the illegal dumping of solid waste, which is a serious environmental concern both in developing and developed countries. A simplified web-based geographic information system (SI-WEB-GIS) was designed to identify illegal dumpsites, and to allow sharing resources among authorities, technicians and citizens. A self-made multi-criteria technique was designed to establish the intervention priorities, in seven steps: (1) constructing the alternatives matrix; (2) giving a qualitative value or a combination of qualitative values to each individual dumpsite and to all criteria; (3) giving a numeric value to each qualitative value or combination of qualitative values in the alternatives matrix (three methods were adopted); (4) calculating the Average Hazard Index (AHI); (5) ranking the dumpsites of each alternatives matrix, in the order of decreasing AHI; (6) comparing the first 50% of the dumpsites in the three rankings, in order to evaluate which had the most intervention priorities and (7) performing a sensitivity analysis, giving different priorities to the four criteria adopted (relative quantity of waste, soil permeability level, pollution targets and types of solid waste). The application of the multi-criteria, web-based approach to managing the illegal dumping of solid waste allows minimizing the total social cost of pollution, rehabilitating dumpsites and monitoring illegal dumping. Although the system was applied to a village in Southern Italy, with around 14,000 inhabitants, it can easily be customized for use in similar villages in Italy and in other countries.
Definition of a multi-criteria, web-based approach to managing the illegal dumping of solid waste in Italian villages
DE FEO, Giovanni;
2014-01-01
Abstract
The aim of this study is to define a multi-criteria, web-based approach that can be used to manage the illegal dumping of solid waste, which is a serious environmental concern both in developing and developed countries. A simplified web-based geographic information system (SI-WEB-GIS) was designed to identify illegal dumpsites, and to allow sharing resources among authorities, technicians and citizens. A self-made multi-criteria technique was designed to establish the intervention priorities, in seven steps: (1) constructing the alternatives matrix; (2) giving a qualitative value or a combination of qualitative values to each individual dumpsite and to all criteria; (3) giving a numeric value to each qualitative value or combination of qualitative values in the alternatives matrix (three methods were adopted); (4) calculating the Average Hazard Index (AHI); (5) ranking the dumpsites of each alternatives matrix, in the order of decreasing AHI; (6) comparing the first 50% of the dumpsites in the three rankings, in order to evaluate which had the most intervention priorities and (7) performing a sensitivity analysis, giving different priorities to the four criteria adopted (relative quantity of waste, soil permeability level, pollution targets and types of solid waste). The application of the multi-criteria, web-based approach to managing the illegal dumping of solid waste allows minimizing the total social cost of pollution, rehabilitating dumpsites and monitoring illegal dumping. Although the system was applied to a village in Southern Italy, with around 14,000 inhabitants, it can easily be customized for use in similar villages in Italy and in other countries.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
