Optimization of the Location of the Municipal Solid Waste Bins Using Geographic Information Systems

Nowadays, in the Spanish cities streets there are several types of bins to collect the different municipal solid waste (MSW) fractions: organic matter and reject fraction, paper and cardboard, light packaging, glass, used oil, clothes, etc. To locate them correctly in the urban landscape is an important task in the MSW management. In the first place, from the MSW collection point of view, a appropriate bins location makes their collection easier. In the second place, in the selective collection, a good location is basic to ensure the citizens participation in the recovery of the recyclable materials. Moreover, the bins location must respect the urban environment. This work presents a methodology to optimize the MSW bins location taking into account several factors such as the distance to the users, the streets characteristics, the presence of singular urban points, etc. The methodology will be later applied to the optimization of the location of the different waste fraction bins of a Spanish city using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS).