ii) Soil maps: Gives information on the type of soil available at a particular place. This information is important before going for an in depth subsurface investigation. A high permeable soil strata is normally avoided for landfills.
iii) Land use maps: These maps are very important as it gives the land value and its importance. There will be some zoning restriction for some lands laid down by the government, which can be assessed based on land use maps. For example, landfills should be located away from the flood plain.
iv) Transportation: The data on transportation would include the present network and the futuristic development. It is very essential that the landfill site is easily accessible and waste hauling is optimal. At the same time, the site should be away from important facilities like airport. It is essential to consider road and rail network details before site selection.
v) Waste type and volume: The primary question is whether the waste is hazardous or not. The philosophy of waste containment changes depending on whether it is municipal or industrial waste. Stringent specifications need to be followed for industrial waste and in no case the waste can be dumped in open pits. Around 50% of the total waste comes from domestic municipal sources. A waste generation rate of 0.9-1.8 kg/person/day is a reasonable estimate for determining municipal waste volume. The population and its growth during the active life of landfill need to be computed.
Waste volume per year = population per year x waste generation rate
The landfill volume is the sum of daily, intermittent and final cover volume and waste volume. Waste: daily cover ratio of 4:1 is needed if soil is used as the cover.

b) Locational criterion: Following are some of the important points to be followed while deciding location for waste containment.
Lake or pond: Away by 300m. The distance can be reduced for engineered waste containment. Surface water need to be monitored continuously for pollution in future.
River: Away by 100 m.
Highway and public park: Away by 300 m.
Airport: Away by 3 km to avoid bird menace.
Water supply well: Away by 400 m.
Crowded habitat, wetland, unstable area to be avoided.
The geology of the place should be suitable with no faults and folds. Maximum horizontal acceleration for the site caused by earthquake should not exceed 0.1g in 250 years.

c) Preliminary assessment of public reaction: Public education on the short term and long term advantages of the facility should be carrier out extensively. Not in my backyard (NIMBY) sentiment can prevent the execution of landfill. Some of the major concerns are noise, odour, increase in traffic volume, reduction in property value, fear of groundwater contamination etc. The public needs to be assured that the above mentioned concerns would be tackled efficiently. This is one of the challenging issues for geoenvironmental engineers and municipal authorities in the planning and execution of such projects.