Data-Driven Optimization Methods for Improving Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Efficiency

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and population growth have brought huge increases in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, placing great demands on waste management systems already in place. While the environmental and economic impacts of recycling must be given proper recognition, many municipalities encounter poor recycling efficiency owing to poor source segregation, the non-traditional collection route, and improper MRF (material recovery facility). Improving recycling efficiency is thus crucial in reducing dependency on trash, cutting environmental pollution and supporting the sustainable use of all this. This work suggests an integrated optimization framework to raise recycling efficiency in municipal solid waste systems. The methodology aims at implementing: (i) waste characterization analysis to evaluate composition and recycling ability, (ii) Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) for optimizing waste collection routes, (iii) GIS-based spatial analysis to minimize transportation distance and fuel consumption, and (iv) improvements to process efficiency in the Material Recovery Facility by improving sorting. Overall performance of the system was assessed by four major factors: the recycling rate and value of the system, operating cost, fuel consumption and diversion percentage to landfill. The proposed optimization strategies led to significant enhancement in the system performance. Recycling efficiency rose from 38% to 58%, which is an absolute 20% increase. Total operational costs decreased by about 21% and fuel consumption lowered 22% from efficient routing. Moreover, the volume of landfill disposal reduced by 35% which means better recoveries of resources and improving the environmental practices. The experimental result showed that recycling rate improved as a function of system, which involved the separation of the source, intelligent routing as well as MRF process upgrade in municipal solid waste disposal systems. Overall, the framework establishes a high-level model available at scale and feasibility for municipalities aiming to move towards sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly waste disposal systems.