Analysis of municipal solid waste collection using GIS and multi-criteria decision aid

Global average temperature increases and causes extreme weather events, killing millions of people and affecting economic stability. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the primary factors that contribute to climate change that is the main concern of various municipalities in the world. In this paper, a two-step systematic approach is proposed to analyze municipal solid waste collection (MSWC) in Sfax, the second most populated city in Tunisia. In the first step, three feasible waste collection scenarios were suggested and have gained the consensus of decision makers and stakeholders. In the second, a geographic information system-based multi-criteria decision aid approach is proposed to identify the most appropriate scenario. Firstly, the Network Analyst function in ArcGIS is used to determine the optimal routes with the traveling distances and operational time of vehicles associated to each scenario. Secondly, a ranking of scenarios is produced by ELECTRE III method. Six pseudo criteria such as fuel consumption cost, gas emission, reliability, road length, and compatibility with the national energy policy were taken into account. The results suggest a relatively efficient and environment-friendly scenario where all vehicles start their trips from the depot, collect garbage from the gather sites, and unload waste at a transfer station then travel back to the depot. The methodology can be adopted into similar contexts to improve the effectiveness of MSW collection through the systematic use of GIS.