Lattakia city faces many problems related to the mismanagement of solid waste, as the disposal process is limited to the random Al-Bassa landfill without treatment. Therefore, solid waste management poses a special challenge to decision-makers by choosing the appropriate tool that supports strategic decisions in choosing municipal solid waste treatment methods and evaluating their management systems. As the human is primarily responsible for the formation of waste, this study aims to measure the degree of environmental awareness in the Lattakia Governorate from the point of view of the research sample members and to discuss the effect of the studied variables (place of residence, educational level, gender, age, and professional status) on the level of environmental awareness. Data were collected and analyzed using the SPSS.21 statistical package. This study also presents a methodology to find the optimal scenario for solid waste treatment using the hierarchical analysis method represented by Expert Choice 11.1.
The study found that there is an environmental awareness about the danger of the increasing percentage of environmental pollution and the presence of a social willingness to contribute to solid waste management, such as household sorting and working in voluntary associations. Environmental awareness is spreading throughout the province, but more attention is paid to the environment in the countryside than in the city. It was also found that environmental awareness is linked to the cultural level, and it was equal between males and females.
The study also provided the optimal treatment method for solid waste according to the theory of hierarchical analysis, where the biogas production method ranked first with a rate of 35.5%, followed by the composting production method with 22.6%, the recycling method with 17.4%, followed by the incineration method by 15%. The sanitary landfill method ranked last, with 9.5%.
