Site Selection of Hazardous Waste Landfill: A Case Study of Qazvin Province

Background & objectives: The disposal of hazardous waste in the environment, which is usually done by burying it in a special landfill, requires a set of environmental standards and special economic, social and managerial considerations. Improper landfills can have negative health, economic, and environmental effects. In this regard, the present study seeks to find a suitable landfill for special waste in the industrial province of Qazvin. Methods: In this documentary research method, using AHP model in GIS to land zoning for optimal location of landfills in Qazvin province based on 12 criteria (geology, slope, land use, fault, slope direction, communication roads, cities and villages, rivers, groundwater wells, swamps, and lakes) were assessed and the land zoning map was obtained. As a result, the location limits were selected. Then, field visits were used to prioritize appropriate sites among the nominated sites. Then, to select the best site among the options with higher priority, the technique or method of regional screening was used. Results: At first, the results of GIS analysis and the AHP model identified 11 places for landfilling. Secondly, field studies revealed that six sites from the mentioned places had the necessary talent to bury hazardous waste. Finally, in the evaluation stage; the Bashar site had the highest score and had the first rank, and the Sadegh Abad site had the last rank with the lowest score. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the Bashar site for the construction hazardous waste landfills is proposed as the first and best site. If different sites are to be created during the years of development of the region, the provided ranking can be used for consecutive use of these sites for landfilling of hazardous wastes in the province.