DEFINING AN OPTIMAL CITY AND REGIONAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY USING MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING METHOD

Abstract

Defining an optimal and sustainable municipal solid waste management system at a local and regional level is a very complex task. In order to solve this task,decision-makers have to face different problems. Defining basic input parameters, i.e.the content and generated amount of the municipal waste practically presents the initial phase of the solution. The choice of the optimal technology involves taking into account a large number of factors, as well as the specific characteristics of the given area. In this paper, the method of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) has been chosen to quantify and rank the proposed solutions for the city and regional waste management system. Prior to valorisation of the alternatives and the choice of the optimal variant, relevant criteria had to be defined. A special attention was paid to the choice and definition of the criteria and determination of their weight coefficients. Decision Support Software (DSS) was used to assess and rank forty-eight scenarios for future city and regional municipal waste management system.