Use of Mathematical Modelling for Planning Municipal Solid Waste Collection

Abstract

When people hear the term “Solid waste management” they immediately think of recycling. But it is not the aspect that requires the greatest expenditure, or has the greatest impact on the urban environment and public health. It is the “collection” of municipal solid waste that has a significant impact on both municipal expenditure and public health. The decisions pertaining to solid waste collection and transportation are basically based on the perception and experience of drivers and other minor staff working at the municipalities. The optimum utilization of available resources within the municipalities for day to day collection of waste is essential as it makes the biggest demand on the Municipal budget. Therefore the main objective of this research is to develop a mathematical model as a tool for decision making in municipal solid waste collection. This research has utilized two mathematical models known as “Network Analysis” and “Transportation problem method” to achieve the aforementioned objective. The case study of this research is based on the proposed project of implementing three Integrated Resource Recovery Centres (IRRC) in the Matale Municipal Council (MC) to manage the solid waste by means of producing compost and recycling. By applying the two mathematical models, the research has shown the possibility of reducing the daily solid waste collection cost within the Matale MC Area.