GIS, multi‐criteria and multi‐factor spatial analysis for the probability assessment of the existence of illegal landfills

Remote Sensing Analysis Techniques and Sensor Requirements to Support the Mapping of Illegal Domestic Waste Disposal Sites in Queensland, Australia

“…Research has shown that the presence of illegal waste also negatively impacts upon human health, particularly where there is prolonged direct or indirect contact with illegal waste [3,6,21]. In some rural areas of the United States of America and neighboring Mexico, research has demonstrated a statistically significant contribution of the presence of illegal waste and the higher recorded levels of kidney and lung damage in those areas [2,8].…”

“…The presence of illegal waste degrades environmental values at the disposal site and in surrounding areas, particularly at those sites where illegal waste disposal is frequent [3,6,8,15,19,20]. The quality of local natural resources in these areas can be degraded by illegal waste [5,8,10,16,20,21] through the addition of abnormal concentrations of heavy metals [20], hydrocarbons, nitrogen [5], and volatile organic compounds (e.g., solvents or gasoline) [2].…”

“…The geography of illegal waste disposal sites is not random [1,3,4,15] but rather a complex pattern influenced by a multitude of economic [6,10], environmental [7,8], and social [8,16] factors. The specific range of factors and their relative level of influence on the distribution of illegal waste disposal sites vary both within and between regions.…”

“… demographics (e.g., population density, employment rate, and income per capita) [3,8,16,17]  the availability of waste facilities or services [5,7,8,18]  the affordability of legal waste facilities or services [5,6,10,16,19]  the effectiveness of law enforcement [10,16]  site access (e.g., proximity to roads) [3,8]  remoteness of illegal waste disposal location [3,8]  sociocultural acceptability of illegal waste disposal [10]…”

“…No relevant published research was identified from Australia. Illegal waste disposal presents a global management problem for contemporary governments [1,2] including Australia, France [3], Ireland [4], Italy [5], Japan [6], the United Kingdom [7], and the United States of America [8,9]. Illegal waste presents governments with a wide range of risks that have prompted demands for cost-effective, efficient monitoring and mapping solutions to support improved management outcomes [10].…”