title: Definition of a multi-criteria, web-based approach to managing the illegal dumping of solid waste in Italian villages.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University ofSalerno, via Ponte don Melillo, 1-84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy. g.defeo@unisa.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Feoa
authors.affiliation: Rua das Ararajubas, Condominio Renoir, Apt. 501, Calhau, Slo Luis-MA, Brazil.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cerrato
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siano
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and High Technology, Insubria University, via Vico, 46-21100, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Torretta
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007558:Italy; D009862:Online Systems; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*