Identifying the location and distribution of the open-air dumps of solid wastes using remote sensing technique

Due to urbanization increasing, poor planning, lack of financial support and etc, it results in the poor state of municipal solid wastes management in most cities, especially in developing countries. A mass of solid wastes are dumped in the open air without effective environmental conservation measures, which leads to some open-air solid wastes dumps. Management of these dumps is one of the most crucial environmental problems which municipal governors concerns in Beijing. BJ-1 Micro-satellite is a new and advanced member of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). It carries double powerful sensors onboard with high resolution, high frequency and multiple spectrums. Via establishing interpretation keys of open-air solid waste dumps, this paper introduces the method to detecting the location of the open-air solid waste dumps in Beijing based on BJ-1 image. By analyzing the results, some distribution characteristics of the dumps have been found. And combining with some statistical data, it also finds that the output and distribution of solid wastes has correlation with the quantity and density of the permanent population. Through this study, it shows that BJ-1 micro-satellite remote sensing images can provide an important support to the open-air solid waste dumps management, and it has potential to reduce the operational costs, so it can meet the challenges of the solid waste management agenda in the near future.