Multicriteria Model for Selection of Landfill Site for Solid Waste in the Municipality of Arbieto

In many developing countries, especially in rural areas, municipal solid waste is still disposed of in open dumps without proper environmental or technical controls. This situation poses serious public health and environmental risks. The municipality of Arbieto, Bolivia, currently lacks an engineered landfill and manages its waste through a reconditioned dumpsite with limited infrastructure and no systematic planning. This study aims to propose a technically and environmentally sound solution for final waste disposal by identifying suitable sites for a sanitary landfill. A multi-criteria spatial analysis was conducted using Geographic Information System (ArcGIS) tools, considering factors such as slope, hydrology, land use, vegetation cover, and distance from populated areas. The General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) was applied to optimize the transport network from 20 waste generation points to the selected site. The methodological design is informed by best practices from international studies that applied GIS and AHP for landfill siting. The results showed that 7.63% of the territory is highly suitable, 27.84% moderately suitable, and 29.06% not suitable. The analysis confirms that Arbieto has technically viable areas for sanitary landfill development. The study recommends implementing a controlled, sustainable disposal strategy based on spatial planning and international technical standards.