Paper Title
Application of Geographical Information System in Disposal Site Selection for Hazardous Wastes

Abstract
Nowadays, the management of hazardous waste is an essential issue that threats the human being, living organisms as well as the ecosystem. Disposal of these wastes is considered a key step that finalizes the plan for an effective waste management. Among several methods used for the effective disposal of hazardous waste, landfilling has appeared to be the most conventional method for disposal due to its relatively low cost compared to other methods. However, social, environmental and technical aspects should be considered in the choice of a suitable location of the landfill. Therefore, in this study, geographical information systems (GIS) accompanied by analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were utilized to choose the best location for siting a hazardous waste landfill in Alexandria city, Egypt, taking into consideration seven criteria. They are surface water (lakes and canals), underground water, urban land, agriculture land use, distance from roads and railways and barren land. A scoring scale initially was used to assess each criterion independently. Then, using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), it was possible to determine the relative importance weight of each criterion to others. As a final step the suitability index was reclassified in two main classes, not suitable region for landfill siting which is 73% of the region and suitable region which is 27% of the total region. Before a final decision is reached, it is important to deeply investigate the possible sites and analyze additional parameters. Keywords - Hazardous waste, Landfill, Allocation, AHP, GIS