Solutions to Close an Informal Dumpsite in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia

Sammanfattning: The rapid urbanisation in developing countries has outran the deployed financial and manpower resources that are supposed to handle public utility services in cities. One important service is solid waste management. The most common method used for solid waste management in developing countries is uncontrolled dumping of waste at unstructured and uncovered open dumpsites. Open dumpsites are related to pollution and safety aspects and creates environmental stress and health problems. The purpose of this thesis project was to minimise environmental and public health risks from an informal dumpsite in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia, by identifying solutions for a sustainable way of closing the site. The project was a complement to the SymbioCity in Ethiopia project and consisted of a literature study, a field excursion to the dumpsite, and interviews with involved parties and evaluations. The focus has been to find economical and accessible solutions to close the dumpsites in an environmentally friendly way. During the project, it was found that the closure of the informal dumpsite is not possible right away. Before closing the informal dumpsite, a waste disposal plan is required to ensure that the site can be closed without continued dumping. Therefore, the recommendation is to divide the closure into post- and pre-closure actions. The most economical and sustainable solution to close the informal dumpsite is to use local material when covering the waste. It is also important to choose available techniques for control of emissions that can be managed easily in the future. It is necessary to collect the generated landfill gas to minimise the pressure on the cover. It is recommended to redirect the inflow of surface water from the area above the dumpsite to reduce the leachate and control the erosion of the cover. It is suitable to use embankment and swales for redirection of the surface water.