1. Introduction
Jordan has seen a large increase in inhabitants over the
past five decades as a result of a high population growth
rate and forced migrations. Economic and cultural development
has improved the standard of living and
changed consumer habits, resulting in an increase in the
volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) over time. The
rate of production of MSW has been estimated at about
1,960,000 tons annually with an average generation rate
of 0.95 kg/cap/day in urban and 0.85 kg/cap/day in rural
areas [1] and is expected to reach 2.5 million tons by
2015. The solid waste volume is still increasing at high
rates due to the rapid population increase as well as the
change in living standards and consumption patterns.
Landfilling is the simplest and normally cheapest
method for disposing of waste [2]. Despite waste reducetion
and recycling policies and waste pretreatment programs
to lower the proportion of waste going to landfill,
landfills will still be required to accommodate residual
wastes. However, although the proportion of waste to
landfill may be decreasing, the total volumes of MSW
being produced are still increasing significantly [3,4]. In
Jordan, landfilling of MSW has evolved over the past 15
years as recommended disposal method.