ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS: A CASE STUDY FROM JORDAN

Landfills have been and will remain the dominant alternative for the ultimate

disposal of municipal solid waste. However, landfilling of solid waste was associated with

certain adverse environmental impacts. This has created some sort of objection from the public

and decision makers’ side for setting a new landfill. One tool to gain the acceptance of the

public and the decision makers is to conduct an EIA study of the selected site, so as to eliminate

and/or minimize the adverse impacts of the site.

This paper is aiming at presenting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for Al

Ghabawy landfill site of the Jordanian Capital City (Amman), so as to identify the significant

adverse impacts and to recommend the necessary mitigation measures. Site visits, survey and

scoping session revealed that the most serious issues that might have adverse impacts and

required special attention were leachate and gaseous emissions from the landfill. The study

analyzed the extent of the above impacts and the required measures to avoid or to minimize them

were recommended. Furthermore, operational guidelines, monitoring, and post closure measures

were suggested. The procedure followed and recommendations made by this study may serve as

guidance for planners and decision makers to conduct EIA for landfills under similar conditions