A multi-objective approach to solid waste management

Abstract

The issue addressed in this paper consists in the localization and dimensioning of transfer stations, which constitute a necessary intermediate level in the logistic chain of the solid waste stream, from municipalities to the incinerator. Contextually, the determination of the number and type of vehicles involved is carried out in an integrated optimization approach. The model considers both initial investment and operative costs related to transportation and transfer stations. Two conflicting objectives are evaluated, the minimization of total cost and the minimization of environmental impact, measured by pollution. The design of the integrated waste management system is hence approached in a multi-objective optimization framework. To determine the best means of compromise, goal programming, weighted sum and fuzzy multi-objective techniques have been employed. The proposed analysis highlights how different attitudes of the decision maker towards the logic and structure of the problem result in the employment of different methodologies and the obtaining of different results. The novel aspect of the paper lies in the proposal of an effective decision support system for operative waste management, rather than a further contribution to the transportation problem. The model was applied to the waste management of optimal territorial ambit (OTA) of Palermo (Italy).

A multi-objective location-allocation optimization for sustainable management of municipal solid waste

“…They also extend their model by using fuzzy set optimization techniques so as to increase the flexibility in dealing with the uncertainty from parameters. A composite model which combines both fuzzy set theory and mixed integer programming (MIP) is given by Galante et al (2010). This composite model is designed for locating transfer stations in MSW management system by achieving the minimization of overall system costs and environmental impact.…”

Management strategy for hazardous waste from atomised SME: application to the printing industry

“…It is a complex issue implicating several different aspects as social responsibility, global economics, production processes, material technology or environmental impact (Galante et al, 2010).…”

“…They mainly consider the selection of the most appropriate treatment and disposal installations, the distribution of waste from the production centres to these installations, and the design of suitable transport routes. Most of these works consist on multi-objective models combining economical and environmental aspects, which facilitate decision-making while designing the waste management system (Abou Najm and El-Fadel, 2004;Fiorucci et al, 2003;Galante et al, 2010;Salvia et al, 2002;Shmelev and Powel, 2006). Other similar works focus on management systems for hazardous waste (Sheu, 2007).…”

Compromising economic cost and air pollutant emissions of municipal solid waste management strategies by fuzzy multiobjective optimization model

“…Stochastic mathematical programming (SMP) with probability theory has been applied to handle left-side uncertainties of constraints (Guo et al, 2008;Li and Huang, 2010). Fuzzy mathematical programming (FMP), which employs fuzzy set theory, is generally applied to deal with multiobjective functions or right-side uncertainties of the constraints in the DMP model Li and Huang, 2007;Li et al, 2008;Minciardi et al, 2008;Fan et al, 2009;Galante et al, 2010;Srivastava and Nema, 2011). Several studies also incorporated fuzzy sets theory into IMP to develop interval fuzzy mathematical programming (IFMP) models for the MSWM system (Huang et al, 1993;Chang and Wang, 1996;Nie et al, 2009;Cao et al, 2010;Sun et al, 2011;.…”

“…Evaluation of strategies estimating both economic efficiency and environmental impacts is essential for an MSWM system. The FMP technique is suitable for dealing with multiple conflicting goals; some studies have employed FMP models to investigate the trade-off between economic optimization and environmental impacts such as traffic congestion, noise impact, incinerator emissions, and the leachate impact of landfills Wang, 1996, 1997;Minciardi et al, 2008;Galante et al, 2010).…”