Bin location for recyclable household waste collection

Resumen

The significant increase in waste generation coupled with the existence of public policies and regulatory frameworks generate the need to develop strategies and tools for the design of efficient waste management systems. In particular, this paper explores some formulations to solve the problem of locating containers for the collection of recyclable household waste in the municipality of Renca in Santiago, Chile. This study considers a consolidated management of such waste, where economic efficiency criteria and social aspects are considered. As a result of the sensitivity analysis, it is concluded that the higher the maximum number of containers and candidate locations, the shorter the distances traveled by users and the higher the total cost of locating a greater number of containers. These results can contribute to the decision making process of the authorities regarding the location of recyclable waste containers. As future work, a multiple waste collection strategy will be considered, where different containers are used for each type of recyclable waste.