Earth Observation for Solid Waste Landfill Management
- Paper number
IAC-05-B1.5.01
- Author
Mr. Giuseppe Ottavianelli, University of Cranfield, United Kingdom
- Year
2005
- Abstract
Worldwide, increasing waste levels are becoming extremely complex to deal with and waste management is one of the most critical environmental concerns that modern society is facing. Recent rigorous international and national regulations are indeed trying to establish sustainable systems that prevent or reduce the adverse effects of waste processing or disposal on the environment, such as methane gas emission and leachate land contamination. Waste is a critical sustainable development indicator and it is closely intertwined with natural resource management and environment issues. These are always complex, interdependent and trans-boundary in nature and are often linked to industrial policies and international and national economic strategies. These all-embracing characteristics make space-based Earth Observation a key tool for the monitoring and management of a wide variety of issues related to waste management.
In this general context, the controlled disposal of waste into land is still an important and necessary means of effective waste management. In the UK, over half a tonne of household waste was generated per person in 2001-2, 88% of which was disposed into landfills. To ensure that all landfill site activities are compliant with permit conditions, their monitoring is inherent in all phases of the site life, from the initial appraisal to the operational and post-closure phases.
The research shows how space-borne remote sensing images, combined with additional in situ data, can provide key support to a number of waste management practices, potentially reducing operational costs and hazards, and meeting the challenges of the future waste management agenda. Examples of the use of both optical data (e.g. PROBA CHRIS) and SAR interferometric coherence products (e.g. ENVISAT ASAR) are presented and discussed.
Close dialogue and cooperation with the various user groups (i.e. landfill operators and regulators, environment protection institutions, and private individuals and land owners) has allowed the research to clearly define their different needs linked to business and science issues and private safety concerns. The study also discusses future applications such as the monitoring of gas flux emission during operations and post-closure, the presence of hot spots, differential settlement and accurate surface water catchment models. The holistic perspective of satellite remote sensing images can also support local, regional and national development plans with respect to waste management. In developing countries, for instance, the future establishment of uncontrolled and illegal landfill site activities is an extremely urgent problem.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-B1.5.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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