Multi-objective Linear Programming Optimization for Waste Management Simulation

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a very complex problem present in many communities around the world. Decision makers need to formulate solutions that consider multiple goals and strategies. Strategies include multiple options for waste collection, transportation, transfer, treatment and disposal. The most appropriate choice, however, is often not clear. Given the large number of available options for MSWM and the interrelationships among these options, identifying MSWM strategies that satisfy economic or environmental objectives is a complex task. The main objective of this work is to use MSWM simulation and multi-objective linear programming to support decision makers in the process of selecting MSWM strategies from a very large decision space and in the presence of multiple objectives. Three competing objectives are considered: least cost, minimization of carbon dioxide emissions and minimization of energy consumption. A multi-objective fuzzy linear programming method is proposed to manage imprecision and uncertainty in the objectives via fuzzy membership functions. Keywords-simulation model; linear programming; fuzzy multiobjective optimization; Pareto optimal set; waste management.