A novel model for sustainable waste collection arc routing problem: Pareto-based algorithms

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Operations Research
• Computer Science

Background:

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a complex, costly process with significant environmental and social implications.
• Key challenges include minimizing operational costs, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enhancing citizen satisfaction.
• Existing models often struggle to balance these competing objectives effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for the sustainable periodic capacitated arc routing problem (PCARP) in MSW management.
• To simultaneously optimize multiple objectives: minimizing total cost, minimizing environmental emissions, maximizing citizen satisfaction, and minimizing workload deviation.
• To propose an efficient hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm for solving the formulated problem.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of a sustainable periodic capacitated arc routing problem (PCARP) using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP).
• Development of a hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm (MOSA-MOIWOA), combining simulated annealing (MOSA) and invasive weed optimization (MOIWOA).
• Application of the Taguchi design technique for optimal parameter tuning of the algorithm.

Main Results:

• The proposed MILP model effectively formulates the sustainable MSW management problem with multiple objectives.
• The hybrid MOSA-MOIWOA algorithm demonstrates high efficiency in solving complex instances of the PCARP.
• Validation using literature problem instances confirms the effectiveness and efficiency of the developed methodology.

Conclusions:

• The integrated approach provides a robust framework for sustainable municipal solid waste management.
• The novel optimization model and algorithm offer significant improvements in balancing economic, environmental, and social factors.
• This research contributes a valuable tool for municipalities seeking to enhance their waste management strategies.