DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE
WASTE CHARACTERIZATION AND
DATA COLLECTION, PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND FIELD
INVESTIGATIONS ON SITE SELECTION FOR TRANSFER STATIONS,
SANITARY LANDFILL AND OTHER WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES
[] and []
Introduction
A proposed project for urban environmental development, to be partially financed by the
World Bank, will address development of new disposal facilities to meet approximately
half of []’ and all of []’ disposal needs for at least 25 years. Sanitary landfill will be the
near-term foundation of the integrated waste management disposal system, which over
the long-term will include an appropriate level of materials recovery, composting, and
incineration based on market conditions for materials, soil amendment and energy.
Depending on the time of travel to available disposal sites, the project will also include
transfer stations by truck, rail, and/or barge transfer units.
These terms of reference require collection and compilation of data about various siting
possibilities, as well as field investigations to study and select viable sites for sanitary
landfill, incineration, composting, materials recovery, and transfer. These terms of
reference also require characterization of solid waste, to better enable determination of
which disposal, treatment, and/or recycling technology is preferable.
The project is anticipated to be executed using the vehicle of private sector concession(s)
of about 15 years duration, wherein the private sector would design, build, and operate
the proposed facilities. During or at the end of the concession period, the private sector
would transfer ownership of the facilities to Government, which could either operate the
facilities or contract for operation. The private parties bidding on the concession shall be
free to choose from among the sites studied under these terms of references or offer
another equivalently acceptable site of their own choosing.
The siting study shall not be limited to looking only at government-owned lands, as
purchase of privately owned sites or joint venture with private land owners might be more
cost-effective solutions, particularly when considering site mitigation and pollution control
costs and solid waste transportation costs.
The project is for an integrated waste disposal system: one which optimizes the level of
combustion, waste treatment, waste recovery, and waste recycling to achieve the most
cost-effective system which the market structure could support. Concession bidders shall
be required to provide a bid with sanitary landfill facilities. They shall have the option of
including the level of composting, materials recovery and incineration which they believe
the market demand can support.
Concession bidders shall have the option to bid on the basis of the sites selected, or to
offer a comparably acceptable site that they already own. If the concession bidders
choose to offer their own sites, they must conduct site investigations comparable to
Government’s and provide that data as part of their bid. Also, if the concession bidders
choose to offer their own sites, they must conduct preliminary environmental audit
studies comparable to Government’s.
The available sites to be studied under these terms of reference are to include, but not be
limited to, the following:
 Completed mining sites which have impermeable base material;
 Areas of minimally productive agricultural land owned by the [] Estates; and
 Areas of tidal land.
It shall be the responsibility of the Government to secure timely access rights for the
consultants conducting these terms of reference at each of the available sites. This shall
include access for drilling and other field investigative equipment. This shall also include
government officials in attendance and security, as needed, for conduct of surveys related
to public perceptions of the proposed project, resettlement and compensation issues.
Additional study costs incurred by delays in the arrangement of access shall be the
responsibility of the client.
Objectives
The objectives of the work to be conducted under these terms of reference are described
below:
 Determine the typical composition and character of mixed municipal solid
waste in [] and [];
 Develop screening criteria for siting each of the following types of facilities:
sanitary landfill, incineration, composting, materials recovery and transfer
facilities;
 Conduct a public and government participation process to reach consensus on
the screening criteria;
 Using the screening criteria, develop exclusionary zones, if any, for each of
the following types of facilities: sanitary landfill, incineration, composting,
materials recovery and transfer facilities;
 Using the screening criteria, maps, interviews, field visits, etc., propose
alternatives sites for each of the following types of facilities: sanitary landfill,
incineration, composting, materials recovery and transfer facilities;
 Conduct a public and government participation process to reach consensus on
3 sites which will be studied further for each of the following types of
facilities: sanitary landfill, incineration, composting, materials recovery and
transfer facilities;
 Verify the suitability of the screened disposal and transfer sites, based on available
data, as well as field investigations of geologic, geophysical, hydrogeologic, soils,
meteorological/atmospheric, and topographic conditions;
 Verify that the available sites have at least 25 years of capacity (including daily,
interim and final soil cover for the landfill sites); and

Comparatively discuss the technical, political, environmental, and economic pros and
cons of each of all available sites.
For purposes of this work, Annex A provides initial guidance on the design and siting
criteria for sanitary landfill which shall be addressed during conduct of these terms of
reference. The Consultants are expected to amplify and replicate these criteria for fully
covering all of the facility types noted, namely: landfill, incineration, composting,
materials recovery and transfer facilities.
Scope of Work
The required effort shall include the following tasks and whatever additional effort is
necessary, based on site-specific conditions, to address the above objectives.
Task 1 – Waste Composition and Character Analysis Sample the mixed municipal solid
waste stream from at least 10 representative urban areas in [] and another 3 in [] by taking
statistically viable composite samples from collection trucks which serve various types of
representative neighborhoods, including but not limited to: low-income squatter
settlements, low-income permanent residential neighborhoods, middle-income permanent
residential neighborhoods, middle-income permanent residential and commercial
neighborhoods, high-income residential neighborhoods, central commercial district.
Analyze the waste composition (i.e., percentage of wet weight) for various components,
including but not limited to: vegetable/putrescible organics, paper, cardboard, film
plastic, hard durable plastic, stone, rubber, textile, wood, bone, leaves and other garden
wastes, ferrous metals, other metals, soil, ash, and construction rubble. Analyze the
moisture content of each sample by oven drying. Analyze the carbon to nitrogen ratio of
the solid wastes sampled. Analyze lower heating calorific value (i.e., as received gross
value). Compost, in a batch system developed for this purpose, a composite of all of the
samples taken and analyze the resulting compost for heavy metals (i.e., cadmium,
chromium, zinc, mercury, lead) and refractory organics (i.e., pesticides).
Task 2 -- Review of Available Siting Information. Review relevant feasibility studies and
reports concerning solid waste management, particularly the studies conducted by [], [] and
various Missions of the World Bank. Review environmental data and studies conducted at
existing disposal sites by existing monitoring agencies. Review studies conducted by the
landowners and their consultants for various mining, agriculture, water supply and/or
development purposes.
Review regional information available from private and public sources which will allow the
identification and evaluation of potential sites, including topographic maps, borings and well
logs, soil surveys, geologic studies, climatic/meteorological data, wind data, drainage and
sanitation infrastructure maps, water resource and water supply development maps, stream
water quality data, transmission and power supply maps, road maps, transportation studies,
existing and proposed land use plans, possible development plans and programs for the area
and its immediate vicinity, proximity to residential development, land ownership and land
value.
Review the designs used for roads, bridges, culverts and traffic management systems
along the access routes likely to be used for direct haul or waste transfer, to assess their
traffic and load-bearing capacity. For landfill sites located within 40 kilometers of the
collection zone, it could be assumed that the average collection truck coming to the site
would be 10 to 14 cubic meters and have typical payloads of 4 to 7 tonnes, and gross
vehicle weights when loaded of about 15 to 20 tonnes. For longer haul distances, it could
be assumed that transfer stations would be implemented; average transfer truck capacity
would be 40 cubic meters and average payloads would be 20 tonnes, and gross vehicle
weights when loaded of about 35 to 40 tonnes. Similarly, if containers were filled for
transfer by barge or rail, they would likely measure 40 cubic meters and weigh 20 tonnes.
Task 3 – Siting Criteria. Develop screening criteria for siting each of the following types
of facilities: sanitary landfill, incineration, composting, materials recovery and transfer
facilities. Include criteria with regard to, but not limited to: permeability of base
material, groundwater flow and direction, groundwater quality, surface water flow and
direction, surface water quality, predominant wind directions, topographic effect on air
movement, air quality, air assimilative capacity, historic and cultural resources, wetlands,
unique and endangered species, flooding boundaries, flood storage capacity, air traffic
and exclusions zones, proximity to residential development, availability of needed
resources (i.e., electricity grid, daily soil cover), accessibility, aesthetics.
Conduct a public and government participation process to reach consensus on the
screening criteria.
Task 4 – Preliminary Site Screening. Apply the screening criteria in two steps: first, to
determine exclusionary zones, where no facilities should be sited; and, second, to identify
viable zones. Comparatively array the screening criteria and discuss each site option, to
enable the public to review and comment on the site screening. Recommend 5
potentially viable sites for each type of facility, namely: sanitary landfill, incineration,
composting, materials recovery and transfer facility.
Conduct a public and government participation process that meets World Bank
requirements to obtain public comment on site screening criteria and options.
Task 5 – Select Site Options for Further Study. Based on the public and government
input to the site screening process, recommend 3 sites for each type of facility to be
further studied. Review data available and conduct on-site field investigations to confirm
the viability of the recommended sites, including the following:
Sub-Task 5A -- Base Map. Locate the selected sites on a macro-scale topographic
survey map with 5-meter contour intervals and with a scale of at least 1:10,000
for an area of at least 3 kilometers around the site. Show all paved and unpaved
roads on the macro-scale topographic map, as well as all streams, rivers, lakes,
utility lines, and water supply wells.
Sub-Task 5B -- Availability of Soil. For the sites identified for sanitary landfill,
determine whether there is adequate on-site soil of acceptable quality for
construction of cell bunds and provision of soil cover. If not, identify site(s) of
suitable materials for off-site borrow. Off-site borrow areas shall be inspected,
their quantities estimated, and their locations shown in the plans. Ownership of
nearby borrow site(s) shall be determined.
Sub-Task 5C -- Contextual Setting. Conduct a review of available literature, well
logs, boring logs, soil logs and water quality analyses for the study areas of each
available site being studied. Describe the regional contextual setting of geology,
soils, groundwater flow, and water quality based on this review and the macroscale topographic survey map developed under Task 3. Provide a map of existing
drinking water and irrigation well locations, watershed catchment divides, water
intakes, etc., within 3 kilometers of the site and note the depth of each well where
information is available from borehole log records or from property owners'
records.
Sub-Task 5D -- Test Pits. Test pits at the available landfill sites shall be
excavated to a depth of at least 2.0 meters (or only to bedrock, if the soil mantle is
less than 2.0 meters deep). Soil profiles and high groundwater markings shall be
photographed and described. There shall be at least one test pit for every 3
hectares of site required for the proposed sanitary landfill.
Conduct a public and government participation process that meets World Bank
requirements to reach consensus regarding the additional data on site screening and
obtain additional public comment on the siting options.
Task 6 – Select Sites for Tendering Purposes. Based on the public and government input
to the site screening process, recommend 2 sites for each type of facility. Gather
additional data on these recommended sites, sufficient to enable these sites to be
considered by concession bidders during the tendering process. The additional on-site
field investigations at each recommended site shall include the following:
Sub-Task 6A -- Topographic Survey. At recommended sites, topographic survey
shall be done for the entire area needed for at least a 25-year life. The survey
shall be adequate to develop a topographic contour map with at least 2-meter
contour intervals. The perimeter boundary survey coordinates shall be mapped
together with the 2-meter topographic contours. All roads, surface waters, and
major landmarks shall be indicated on the map, as well as survey benchmarks.
Identify all underground and overhead utility systems on the topographic survey
maps, including water supply wells and lines, drainage channels and culverts,
sewerage, cables, drains, gas lines, telephone lines and poles, and electrical lines
and poles. Identify all structures, including squatter housing and animal corrals.
The map shall be at a scale of at least 1:1,000.
Sub-Task 6B -- Borings. Borings shall be drilled through the soil column to
unweathered bedrock, or to 30 meters depth, whichever is less. Conduct soils
analysis and testing to classify and evaluate the load bearing strength, slope
stability and settlement properties of the soil types encountered, as well as the
permeability and attenuative properties of the soils to act as a barrier to leachate
generation and groundwater contamination. Analysis and testing shall be
conducted on disturbed and undisturbed soil samples in accordance with
American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or other comparable
standards. All investigations and analysis shall comply with Government of []’
and []’ guidelines for soils surveys and testing. Classification, by particle size,
plasticity, moisture content, liquid limit, etc., shall be adequate to name each soil
and indicate whether it's mixture of silt, clay, sand, gravel, etc. There shall be at
least one boring for every 10 hectares per available site, and no less than 2
boreholes for each available site.
Sub-Task 6C -- Wells. Develop groundwater wells from some of the boreholes
developed above, at the landfill sits only, to determine the groundwater level and
flow patterns, as well as the overall permeability of the groundwater regime and
the potential for contaminated leachate from the proposed landfill to migrate. In
at least 1 of the boreholes, groundwater wells shall be constructed so that they
could function as permanent groundwater monitoring wells. These wells shall be
screened within the shallow aquifer, packed in gravel, sealed with bentonite, and
properly capped. This well shall be subjected to a minimum 48 hour pumping test
to determine aquifer permeability. Pump tests shall be conducted following
continuous pumping until stable conditions are achieved. Piezometric levels shall
be measured in each of the wells several times during the study period. Water
quality samples shall be taken from at least one of the wells, following pumping
or baling of at least 3 well volumes. Provide a groundwater contour map,
showing the catchment area for the shallow local groundwater and at least 2-meter
contours of groundwater levels.
Sub-Task 6D -- Geophysical Survey. If the overall depth of all soils underlying
the entire site is less than 40 meters, conduct a geophysical survey using seismic
refraction1 or electrical resistivity2, as appropriate for the type of conditions
anticipated at the site, along transverse lines throughout the area of the proposed
sanitary landfill. The survey shall be conducted along transverse lines spaced no
more than 200 m apart and shall be designed to characterize the integrity of the
confining layer below the shallow aquifer and identify major layers of soil,
weathered bedrock, and depth to bedrock. At key anomalies, located in at least
1
Seismic refraction utilizes sound transmission (refraction of sound waves) through the earth to project the depth and
velocity of layered materials. The method is used to assess bedrock topography, lithologic thickness and depth, water
table depth, and rippability velocities. Geophones measure sound travel times.
2 Electrical resistivity utilizes a four terminal electrode array to determine the ease with which an electrical current
passes through the earth. The method is used to define ground water contamination, water table depth, and lithologic
units. It is effective for plume mapping, by noting the change in subsurface salinity. Two potential electrodes measure
the voltage drop and apparent resistivity is calculated.
three areas at each site, conduct vertical electrical soundings to obtain more
detailed information on formation resistivities.
Correlate information on the depth of the soil above bedrock and the depth to
groundwater from the geophysical survey with the information obtained from the
borings and groundwater wells described above. Provide a geologic profile of the
sites, at a vertical scale no greater than 1:200, showing all significant soil and rock
layers. Based on the field investigations and information developed, determine
whether any portions of the site do not have adequate geotechnical integrity for
development of a sanitary landfill and related infrastructure, such as access and
internal roads.
Evaluate the effects of seismic events on the site and subsurface soils, based on
the soils and geotechnical data base developed above, including: determine the
recommended seismic design acceleration, select the response spectrum
appropriate to site conditions, determine the liquefaction potential of subsurface
soils, determine slope stability requirements, and recommend mitigation
measures.
Task 7 -- Preliminary Environmental Audit Report.
Preliminary environmental audit studies shall be conducted at each of the sites selected
by Government to be offered for purposes of tendering. For the sites selected by
Government to be offered the Consultants shall conduct biological field studies to assess
whether there are significant species or habitat at the site and identify agricultural
activities. Delineate any on-site wetlands by soils and plant species. Prepare a
preliminary environmental audit report to assess the potential environmental consequences
of landfill development. Include impacts on traffic, noise, odor, dust, aesthetics, air quality,
surface water and groundwater quality, aquatic and terrestrial life, cultural and
archaeological resources, and socio-economic conditions.
Resettlement issues need to be addressed in the final selection of sites for implementation.
At this stage of site selection and environmental audit, conduct a survey to determine the
number of people and households needing to be moved, their crops and facilities for which
they need to be compensated, and any socio-cultural issues with regard to disruption of what
may be an integrated community for residential and work life support.
Task 8 -- Acquisition and Resettlement Issues. Determine the owners of the available
sites and verify that the sites are available for acquisition or other arrangement for solid
waste transfer or disposal. If the sites proposed are not adequate to meet the needs for a
minimum period of 25 years, recommend how much additional area would be necessary
to provide for a minimum 25-year life. Describe any resettlement and/or compensations
conditions that may be present at the site for residents or farmers, regardless of whether
they have title to the land they are occupying. Cooperate with other consultants engaged
specifically to address resettlement issues.
Schedule
The following schedule of activities is required:
 Completion of waste composition and character analysis – 2 months from notice to
proceed.
 Completion of siting criteria -- 2 months from notice to proceed.
 Preliminary screening of sites – 4 months from notice to proceed.
 Select sites for further study and conduct field investigations – 7 months from notice
to proceed.
 Select sites for tendering purposes and conduct additional field investigations – 10
months from notice to proceed.
 Completion of environmental audit report and resettlement surveys -- 12 months from
notice to proceed.
Deliverables
The following maps, documents, and reports are required for each site studied, as
appropriate relative to the terms of reference requirements:
 Report on site screening criteria.
 Report on site screening logic.
 Summary of input from public consultation process to select sites for further study.
 Data and information compiled on sites screened for further study.
 Summary of input from public consultation process to select sites for tendering.
 Data and information compiled on sites selected for tendering, to include: topographic
survey maps, including perimeter coordinates and benchmarks, with at least 2 m
contours, at a scale of at least 1:1,000; testpit and boring logs, including soil
classification charts; geophysical survey logs, including mapping of anomalies and
discontinuities, and soils/geologic profile with a vertical scale of at least 1:200; and
groundwater contour maps, with at least 3.0 m contours.
 Overall report summarizing the field investigations, data analyses, public
consultation, and conclusions.
Team
The team shall include at least one experienced and qualified geologist with a minimum
of a bachelor of science degree in geology and 15 years of related work experience in
geologic and hydrogeologic field investigations; at least one civil-sanitary engineer with
a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and 15 years of related work experience
in sanitary landfill design; and at least one terrestrial biologist with a minimum of a
bachelor of science degree in biology and 10 years of related work experience in field
reconnaissance of flora and fauna and related environmental impact assessment studies.
Borehole drilling, well construction, topographic survey, and soil classification shall be
subcontracted to qualified firms which are specialized, equipped and insured for such
activities and have a corporate experience of at least 5 years.