Landfill site selection and landfill liner design for Ankara, Turkey

Considering the high population growth rate of Ankara, it is inevitable that landfill(s) will be required in the area in the near future to sustain the sanitary waste disposal needs of the city. The main scope of this study is to select alternative landfill sites for Ankara based on the growing trends of Ankara toward the northwest, particularly toward the Sincan municipality, and to eventually select the best alternative through utilizing multi-criteria decision making. Landfill site selection was carried out utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. A number of criteria, namely, settlement, slope, proximity to roads, geology, availability and proximity of landfill containment material (i.e., clay for composite lining system), suitability for agriculture, erosion, vegetation cover and lineament system were gathered in a GIS environment. Each criterion was assigned a weight value by applying the Pairwise Comparison Method and the Analytical Hierarchy Method. In order to choose the best alternative, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution, which is regarded as an ideal point method, was applied and a landfill site was selected. The geotechnical properties of the so-called “Ankara clay” that shows widespread distribution in Ankara were reviewed and assessed for its suitability as a compacted clay liner.