Journal of Environmental Management 240 (2019) 259–265

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Environmental Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman

Research article

Managing the uncertainty problems of municipal solid waste disposal T

Ajay Singh
Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: In waste management systems, several parameters such as the rate of waste production, disposal facility,
Environmental problems treatment cost, and their relations may be uncertain and can influence the associated optimization processes.
Waste management These uncertainty problems in waste management were addressed by using various inexact programming
Municipal waste disposal methods. For example, fuzzy, stochastic programming, and interval programming techniques were generally
Uncertainty problems
used for solving the uncertainty-related waste management problems. The analysis revealed that the efficiency of
Global challenge
waste management system can be maximized by the proper use of these optimization techniques. In this ap-
proach, an uncertainty problem is reduced into several subproblems with sureness by using the minimax regret
optimization technique. And these subproblems are focused on a calculation where the lament of not getting the
goal is minimized. The analysis also revealed that the fuzzy-stochastic method was increasingly used for dealing
with the waste management system uncertainty in recent times. This paper gives an overview of dealing with the
uncertainty problems of waste disposal in urban areas. An indication of the solid waste disposal problems and its
management in conjunction with the repercussion of the investigation is described. The rationale and setting of
the uncertainty issues in proper waste management are detailed. The applications of fuzzy analysis approach and
integrated waste management in dealing with the uncertainty problems are presented. The applications of these
techniques in diverse case studies worldwide are discussed and finally, the conclusions of the literature analysis
are summarized.

1. Introduction
The global population is growing and is likely to reach a level be-
tween 9.5 and 10 billion in, 2050 from the current level of 7.6 billion
(United Nations, 2017; Palansooriya et al., 2019; Singh, 2019a,b; Zhang
and Huang, 2014). Urbanization is also increasing very fast with the
growing human population (Singh, 2015, 2012). Rapid urbanization
has substantially increased the production of municipal solid waste
(MSW) during the recent past (Harris-Lovett et al., 2018; Zhang and
Huang, 2014; Cheng and Hu, 2010). The huge production of municipal
waste is directly linked to the present human standard of living. During
the last few decades, municipal waste disposal has enlarged con-
siderably, i.e., from 0.5 kg person−1 day−1 to 1.7 kg (Ramayah et al.,
2012). And this has characterized a severe environmental issue mainly
for regions where successful plans for MSW organization are not effi-
cient (Abarca-Guerrero et al., 2013). Currently, MSW management is a
crucial practice that deals with the vital community need and it's poor
management and inapt disposal can result in problems that jeopardize
human health by reproducing of bugs that broaden pathogens and
water contamination and so on (Singh, 2014a,b,c). It also affects en-
vironmental conditions by increasing soil and air pollution and thus
impedes sustainable development (Alavi et al., 2009; Joseph et al.,
2012).
A huge amount of waste production and its management has be-
come a serious problem in urban areas particularly in the developing
world thanks to the harmful effect of mortifying wastes on the human
health in heavily populated areas (Diaz, 2017; Zornoza et al., 2016;
Ngoc and Schnitzer, 2009; Gamze Turan et al., 2009). The volume and
structure of waste contain the vital data required for the development
and improvement of waste management structures (Beigl et al., 2008).
Mor et al. (2006) reported that poor waste organization could result in
serious environmental problems such as groundwater pollution and
explosion in landfill areas in addition to the unpleasant odors. More
than ninety percent of total MSW volume is disposed of speciously in
open dumps, creating environmental and community health issues.
Solid wastes are a main and unavoidable outcome of development and
urbanization and have risen as a genuine environmental danger. The
fast growth in municipal population and ways of life are moving the
character of solid waste management in developing nations from a
limited worry to a worldwide network issue (Rawal et al., 2012).
The management of MSW is a key concern for municipal societies all
over the world thanks to the mounting waste production rates and
dwindling waste processing limits as well as growing environmental
and health concerns. In waste management frameworks, several

E-mail addresses: erajay07@yahoo.co.in, ajay@agfe.iitkgp.ac.in.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.03.025
Received 8 December 2018; Received in revised form 19 February 2019; Accepted 6 March 2019
0301-4797/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A. Singh
features, for example, the rate of waste production, disposal facility,
treatment cost, and their relations might be indeterminate. And these
features can influence the associated optimization methods (Yeomans
et al., 2003). Therefore, it is preferred to develop estimated program-
ming systems for the sustainable waste organization under vulnerability
(Harris-Lovett et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2011; Cai
et al., 2007). Fuzzy and stochastic programming techniques were gen-
erally used for solving the uncertainty-related waste management
problems in reverse logistics of the supply chain (Marttunen et al.,
2018; Soltani et al., 2017; Li et al., 2009a; Lee and Dong, 2009; You and
Grossmann, 2008; Tuzkaya and Gulsun, 2008; Salema et al., 2007). On
the contrary, interval mathematical programming techniques were
rarely used. While fuzzy programming technique can deal with diverse
types of vulnerabilities (Zhang et al., 2010), it might prompt intricate
submodels in practical problems (Inuiguchi et al., 1990). A multi-cri-
teria target function model was used by Chen and Chang (2000) to aid
the basic leadership for assigning waste load in waterway considering
diverse threats and uncertainties.
In the past, many researchers proposed inexact optimization tech-
niques for managing uncertainties in ecological management schemes
(Liu et al., 2018; Xu et al., 2009). These systems mainly depended on
interval programming and fuzzy stochastic approaches (Chang and
Davila, 2008; Kapepula et al., 2007). Xu et al. (2010) developed an LP-
based model for managing MSW under vulnerability. The applicability
of the model was shown by organizing a waste management problem.
The outcomes showed that the model could be useful in recognizing the
preferred policies under diverse economic, environmental, and system-
reliability constraints. A linear programming-based interval-parameter
multistage stochastic model was presented by Li et al. (2006a) for
managing uncertainties articulated as interval values and random
variables and for supporting water resources decision making. Recently,
Tan et al. (2010) developed a DP-based model which contains fuzzy
limit interims in the two destinations and imperatives. The model was
applied to manage MSW in uncertainty. This paper gives an impression
of managing the uncertainty problems of MSW disposal. As far as the
author is aware, there has not been a recent study concerning the un-
certainty problems of waste management. This paper provides an
overview of dealing with the uncertainty problems of waste disposal in
urban areas.
The paper is partitioned into six parts. An indication of the solid
waste disposal problems and its management along with the implica-
tion of the study is described in Section-1. The rationale and back-
ground of the uncertainty problems in proper waste management are
detailed in Section-2. The applications of fuzzy analysis approach and
integrated waste management in dealing with the uncertainty issues are
presented in Sections 3 and 4, in that order. Section-5 discusses the
applications of these techniques in different case studies worldwide.
And finally, Section-6 summarizes the conclusions of the analysis.
2. Rationale
Urbanization is growing rapidly due to the burgeoning population
and this poses a serious challenge in effectively managing the MSW in
urban areas (Cheng et al., 2008). The issue has become more serious as
uncertainty presents in many system variables. The uncertainties
caused complexities in formulating suitable optimization frameworks
for MSW management. The uncertainty problem in such frameworks
can be dealt with by utilizing a range of techniques such as fuzzy, in-
terval programming, and/or stochastic modeling. An uncertainty pro-
blem can be reduced into several subproblems with sureness by using
minimax regret optimization technique. And these subproblems are
focused on a calculation where the lament of not getting the goal is
minimized. This technique was used by analysts worldwide such as
Averbakh (2000) and Chang and Davila (2007) and so forth among
others. Recently, a fuzzy parametric programming model was devel-
oped by Srivastava and Nema (2011) for the selection of the dumping
260
Journal of Environmental Management 240 (2019) 259–265
services and optimal scope quantification in uncertainty linked to the
durable development for solid waste management. The model tackles
uncertainty in waste volume in addition to vulnerabilities in the
working limits of waste management services. The model results show a
nonlinear relation between the expansion in waste volume and an in-
crease in the aggregate cost engaged with the waste organization. An
optimal design model for urban wastewater-treatment plants was pre-
sented by Lin and Zeng (2000). The model considers the variation of
quantity and quality of inflowing water in urban wastewater-treatment
plant design in addition to the uncertainty of design parameters.
Sustainable organization of MSW is becoming a matter of para-
mount importance for several urban communities all over the world.
Considering conflicting environmental and economic objectives con-
currently in planning an MSW management system is a primary chal-
lenge (Minciardi et al., 2008). Dealing with uncertainties in real-field
applications is another challenge (Sun and Huang, 2010; Cheng et al.,
2003). An IP-based multistage stochastic model was produced by
Ahmed et al. (2003) for capacity-expansion arrangement in waste
management under uncertainty. In the proposed approach, a set-up tree
was utilized to show the development of uncertain demands along with
economic factors. Recently, Santibanez-Aguilar et al. (2013) presented
an LP-based multi-objective model for sustainable utilization and op-
timal planning of MSW in Mexico by maximizing the monetary ad-
vantage while allowing for environmental and technical issues. The
outcomes demonstrated that coordinated handling of MSW is able to
offer ecological and monetary advantages in addition to the social
benefits. Nema and Gupta (1999) developed a locally perilous waste
organization framework for the choice of transportation routes and
distribution of perilous waste. An LFB-based model was presented by
Zhu and Huang (2011) for sustaining sustainable MSW organization
under vulnerability. The proposed model was connected to a contextual
investigation of waste stream designation inside a municipal solid waste
organization scheme. The outcomes demonstrated that the approach
can support an inside and out an investigation of the various system
components.
The solid waste organization has become precedence for municipal
communities all over the globe. MSW organization can be considered as
turnaround coordination's issues in-store network the management
(Bautista and Pereira, 2006). Besides, uncertainties may be present in
the supply and demand as well as in the creation development in rea-
lity. Hence, building up a suitable waste organization system to deal
with the connections between production and transportation in the
whole system under uncertainties would be optimal (Pokharel and
Mutha, 2009). Recently, Zhang et al. (2011) presented an optimization
model for MSW organization schemes. The authors developed a piece-
wise interval encoding to cope with MineMin roles in both constraints
and objectives in the model.
Recently, the researchers have used the extended branches of re-
verse logistic problems such as the green supply chain management
(Chen and Sheu, 2009; Sheu, 2008) and closed-loop supply-chain
management (Yang et al., 2009; Pan et al., 2009; Hammond and
Beullens, 2007; Savaskan et al., 2004). Earlier, a reverse logistics
system was developed by Krikke et al. (1999) for recovery of discarded
products in the area of industrial waste.
3. Fuzzy analysis
The solid waste organization is a major challenge for municipalities
across the globe. The efficiency of the waste-flow-allocation pattern is
generally linked to a range of uncertainties in a typical waste man-
agement system. And these uncertainties carry considerable challenges
in the application of waste organization models and production of
useful results (Xi et al., 2008; Yeomans et al., 2003). A wide range of
optimization strategies was developed under vulnerabilities, for ex-
ample, interval and fuzzy programming (Yan et al., 2010; Zhu et al.,
2009). In recent times, researchers, for example, Sakawa et al. (2001),
A. Singh
Fig 1. Integrated solid waste management
Chang (2009), and Mehra et al. (2007) used fuzzy mathematical pro-
gramming to examine linear fractional programming issues with fuzzy
objectives. More recently, an SP-based fuzzy method was presented by
Wang et al. (2012) for managing the MSW under vulnerability. The
presented approach can manage different vulnerabilities introduced as
intervals in addition to probabilistic and possibilistic distributions.
Moreover, this approach can boost the system robustness because it is
equipped for reflecting a waste manager's certainty stage over skewed
decisions. Furthermore, this approach can permit comprehensive ex-
aminations of diverse arrangement situations that are connected to
dissimilar dimensions of financial punishments when the waste-allot-
ment targets are disregarded.
Fuzzy linear programming is known as a useful option to define the
preference level of choice selectors when human opinion is dominant in
the choice procedure. It may well undertake uncertainties expressed as
possibilistic distributions (Wang and Huang, 2011). A linear program-
ming-based two-stage fuzzy-robust optimization model was used by Li
et al. (2008). In two-stage encoding, first, the waste portion is de-
termined to result from the distinct amount of waste production at the
supply, after that the digressed waste amount is assigned to a facility.
Fuzzy programming, stochastic programming, and interval program-
ming methods were commonly used for handling the system un-
certainty during the recent past (Lv et al., 2009; Qin et al., 2009; Lin
et al., 2009). Every one of these techniques, be that as it may, just
spotlights on an individual vulnerability which may prompt complex-
ities in taking care of events of a few vulnerabilities which is normally
the situation in an MSW management (Huang et al., 2001). Thus, these
programming methods have been combined together to take care of the
coexistence of several vulnerabilities in MSW management (Li et al.,
2007a, b).
A fuzzy-robust encoding-based model was presented by Nie et al.
(2007) where the info factors were characterized as interval figures of
fuzzy enrollment capacities. The model supposed that the existing
complexities be able to be successfully dealt with utilizing the fuzzy
limit intervals. Guo et al. (2008a) and He et al. (2008) used inexact
semiinfinite programming technique for managing the problems of
solid waste management. The estimated semiinfinite encoding ap-
proach is more helpful than the interval encoding technique as it imi-
tated the dynamic element of the info parameters such as varying waste
amounts identifying with time (Guo et al., 2009). A gray fuzzy
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Journal of Environmental Management 240 (2019) 259–265
optimization model was presented by Chen and Chang (2000) for
forecasting the production of MSW in Taiwan. The fuzzy goal regression
method was used in the model to minimize the inconsistency between
the measured and predicted values. Later, a similar approach was
presented by Li and Huang (2010a) for development of MSW organi-
zation.
During the last few decades, the researchers across the world have
developed several optimization methods, such as stochastic, interval,
and fuzzy programming, for management and planning of ecological
frameworks under uncertainty (Galelli and Soncini-Sessa, 2010; Guo
et al., 2010; Zeng and Trauth, 2005). Interval encoding is useful in
managing vulnerabilities articulated as intervals, but, it can't manage
vulnerabilities communicated as probabilistic disseminations (Wang
et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2009). Stochastic encoding is useful wherever an
investigation of arrangement situations is required. In this approach,
first a choice is taken prior to the irregular factors are divulged, a
second-arrangement choice is then completed after the grasp of arbi-
trary factors (Ahmed et al., 2004; Maqsood and Huang, 2003). Chance-
constrained encoding has been extensively used in ecological manage-
ment problems (Li et al., 2007a, b; Huang, 1998). Interval encoding
approach was lengthily utilized by scholars to integrate vulnerability in
solid waste management (Cheng et al., 2003). The output of interval
programming approach does not reveal the conveyance of vulnerability
inside the lower and upper limits. The fuzzy encoding, however, can
successfully reveal vulnerabilities because of individual errors. The
optimization models with fuzzy hypothesis were widely utilized for
managing the waste organization issues (Chang et al., 1997). Even
though fuzzy set theory can handle different types of uncertainties, it
may lead to complex submodels that are not pertinent to handy issues,
or be incapable impart the uncertainties specifically into the optimi-
zation procedure (Huang and Moore, 1993; Poldnurk, 2015).
4. Integrated waste management
Presently, the implementation of the integrated MSW management
(IMSWM) is in practice as a result of the likely pollution of water
sources (Singh, 2018a,b,c,d) and the shortage of additional land in the
vicinity of municipalities in addition to the mounting resistance from
the public about landfill disposal (Huang et al., 2005). The IMSWM
framework includes plans that reuse/decrease the generated waste
A. Singh
(Fig. 1). The IMSWM approach has been extensively suggested as a
useful method for both developing and developed countries (De Feo and
Malvano, 2009; Seadon, 2006; Dai and Dai, 2004). However, due to the
inclusive nature of IMSWM approach, its application in a waste ar-
rangement in developing nations is exigent, largely due to the absence
of appropriate information on waste production and the requirement of
funds and ability. The IMSWM approach considers the mix of multi-
alternatives of waste treatment into a solitary medium, for example,
water and atmospheric. Geng et al. (2007) reported that the IMSWM
method should be evaluated dependent on location-explicit ecological
and socioeconomic contemplations. An IMSWM framework is necessary
to develop a sound urban society (Ionescu et al., 2013; Eriksson et al.,
2014).
Integrated solid waste management includes various constraints and
objectives such as social, economic, technological, and environmental
and so on. And it needs to mull over various issues such as treatment,
transportation, and disposal to get environmentally and economically
sustainable solutions (Costi et al., 2004). Several programming
methods, for example, fuzzy, gray, and stochastic were used to manage
a blend of different vulnerabilities. Li and Huang (2011) presented an
inexact FPP model for optimal MSW planning strategies under vulner-
ability. The developed approach can bolster the appraisal of the threat
of defying limitations related to random and fuzzy characteristics. The
approach was connected to a contextual investigation in Changchun,
China for MSW development. The integrated models were usually used
to enhance synergistic associations among assorted models. They were
specifically used for acquiring dynamic data of waste production and
waste-to-energy and landfill facilities (Björklund et al., 1999).
Chen et al. (2010) presented an IMSWM approach in a modeling
framework. The study compared and reported the results of two con-
trasting case studies namely Dalian in China and Waterloo in Canada.
The study also explored the purposes behind the diverse organization
advances among the case studies. The outcomes illustrated that in a
number of features, variations among the case studies were closely
connected to their relevant economic and community settings, which
cannot be altered, but other variations can be featured mostly to or-
ganization tools and strategies. Earlier, Chang and Davila (2006) for-
mulated a similar encoding approach for managing MSW under un-
certainties. An integrated stochastic model was developed by El
Hanandeh and El-Zein (2010) which was based on an actual existence
cycle stock methodology and permitted an orderly concern of vulner-
ability.
A linear programming-based integrated fuzzy-stochastic model was
proposed by Huang et al. (2001) for MSW management. The proposed
model effectively handles the vulnerabilities into the optimization
method and produce consistent outcomes. Maqsood and Huang (2003)
proposed a linear programming-based stochastic model by combining
chance-constrained encoding and stochastic encoding along with in-
terval encoding inside an integer programming structure. Later, Li et al.
(2006b) used a similar approach to assist capacity-development sche-
duling for MSW management. A stochastic robust optimization model
was presented by Jia and Culver (2006) to minimize pollutant load
reductions and to integrate the uncertainty of water quality forecasts
under diverse levels of consistency regarding the water quality norms.
Later, Ricciardi et al. (2007) utilized a similar approach to explain
system uncertainty in deciding the best possible groundwater re-
mediation structure under a specific set of conditions.
The researchers have conducted several studies for the MSW orga-
nization considering uncertainty (Guo et al., 2008b; Zeng et al., 2005).
For instance, Wu et al. (2006) presented a model for the development of
waste organization schemes in Canada. Similarly, Li et al. (2006c) used
an LP-based fuzzy model for an ecological management framework
wherein fuzzy linear encoding and two-stage stochastic encoding is
integrated into a common linear programming framework. Weng and
Fujiwara (2011) set up a coordinated economic investigation system for
estimating the usefulness of MSW organization frameworks. The
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Journal of Environmental Management 240 (2019) 259–265
proposed approach was used to analyze the effects of the manipulating
variables on the yearly economic municipal solid waste activity in
Taiwan. The analysis also projected short-term future financial costs
under scenario analysis.
5. Case studies
Solid waste management is gradually turning into a difficult job for
the municipalities across the world because of rising waste volumes,
varying waste structure, declining dumping locations, and related en-
vironmental risk (Srivastava and Nema, 2011). The key problems
concerning waste management in rural zones occur from the manage-
rial and strategic disorganization which are articulated in uncertain and
inequitable pricing structure. Poldnurk (2015) presented a municipal
waste management model for the optimization of the environmental,
administrative, and economic efficiency in Estonia. The results illu-
strated that the central collection of biowaste is not economically and
environmentally viable in rural areas. However, the focal collection of
source-sorted paper waste might be considered naturally advantageous
whenever connected through inter-municipal participation. The in-
vestigation brought another methodology on how to assess the poten-
tial possibility of source sorting and focal collection of paper and bio-
waste in regional municipalities. The presented model also uncovered
the advantages of inter-municipal collaboration as far as regulatory,
monetary and logistical proficiency enhancement. The model is re-
levant in any rural zone where there is a potential for regulatory par-
ticipation between regions. Hokkanen and Salminem (1997) utilized a
model ELECTRE to choose an MSW organization scheme in Finland.
The proposed system used eight criteria such as the number of em-
ployees, surface water dispersed releases, health effects, local and re-
gional acidic releases, global effects, cost per ton, amount of recovered
waste, and technical reliability. The study evaluated 22 options under
either centralized or decentralized organization schemes by diverse
treatment strategies, for example, landfilling and composting etc.
An interval-based possibilistic encoding technique was presented by
Li and Huang (2010b) for waste management with cost minimization
and ecological effect under vulnerability. The proposed strategy can
handle vulnerabilities articulated as interval values in the constraints
and objective function. The proposed model was connected to a hy-
pothetical contextual investigation of arranging an MSW organization
framework where an LP-based integer method was introduced to assist
in dynamic analysis. Later, Dai et al. (2011) presented a similar ap-
proach for MSW organization in the municipal regions of Beijing,
China. The model improves the investigation precision in advancing the
waste organization framework by integrating an LP-based integer en-
coding model with the support-vector-regression. Two cases were in-
vestigated based on various waste management strategies. The out-
comes were helpful for supporting the modification of the current waste
allocation examples to raise the city's waste diversion rate in addition to
the scope quantification of waste management framework to fulfill the
city's expanding waste disposal requests. The model imitates dynamic
and uncertain features of the waste organization framework while
forecasting the future waste generation of the city. An inexact fuzzy-
stochastic programming method was developed by Li et al. (2009b) for
setting up a waste-management framework considering uncertainty.
Pires et al. (2011) introduced an AHP-based fuzzy technique TOPSIS
for sustainable development of the MSW organization framework in
Portugal in an uncertain environment. To underscore the job of vul-
nerability in basic decision making for alternative ranking, a fuzzy in-
terval multi-characteristic choice investigation was performed to help
in ecological policy choices. In the proposed approach, AHP was uti-
lized to find out the necessary weighting variables and TOPSIS was used
for screening and ranking under vulnerability. Such an AHP-based ap-
proach driven by a set of weighting factors related to the chose criteria
has been demonstrated valuable for conclusive positioning by means of
an iterative system. Recently, an improved interval stochastic encoding
A. Singh
approach was presented and applied by Zhou et al. (2017) for the de-
sign and optimization of an activated-sludge process wastewater
treatment system considering the efforts of uncertain factors. The pro-
posed model is competent in dealing with multiple system uncertainties
that exist in system objectives, impact factors, and associated costs
which can be articulated as determinates. The proposed model is more
flexible and practical as compared to the common uncertainty optimi-
zation models. Earlier, Tseng (2011) used fuzzy set theory and linguistic
vagueness approaches to evaluate the significance and execution of
MSW management features and conditions under uncertainty in the
metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan. The study proposed the use of four aspects
such as economic aspect, sustainable development aspect, human de-
velopment aspect, and social aspect for the assessment of MSW man-
agement.
Guo and Huang (2010) proposed an LP-based optimization model
for MSW organization under different vulnerabilities in Regina, Canada.
Some exclusive attributes of the model make it distinctive compared
with existing models that handle uncertainties. For instance, it can help
dynamic investigation for choices of waste-stream assignment and fa-
cility-development planning, it has potential to deal with the temporal
variations of the functional intervals, and it is helpful for undertaking
various uncertainties and so on. Earlier, Bautista and Pereira (2006)
presented an approach to locating waste collection sites for urban waste
management. They proposed two mathematical formulations which are
based on genetic algorithm and GRASP. The proposed model was ap-
plied to the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Recently, Raviv et al.
(2018) developed an economically viable regional optimization model
for energy generation from the vegetative agricultural wastes. The de-
veloped model was used to examine the profitability of the energy
generation system as a function of logistics and uncertain market prices.
The results of the sensitivity analysis show that the market price of
transportation costs has a lower impact on the system's profitability
than treatment technologies' products. The study reports the im-
portance of the location of treatment and the treatment technology
selection in the design of an optimal waste treatment system for vege-
tative agricultural residuals.
Locating the waste collection sites in community areas is an in-
tricate issue because generally inhabitants favor having a waste col-
lection site near to her/his residence, however, they are willing to pay
fewer taxes to have this service guaranteed. Conversely, the public is
engaged not only in reducing the collection-related expenses as well as
in constraining the visual effect in light of the proximity of the collec-
tion bins near the neighborhoods (Erkut et al., 2008). Both the pre-
viously mentioned variables are associated with the number of collec-
tion sites, one of the main objectives in municipal solid waste
management is to offer a decent nature of service with a minimal
number of collection locations. Later, Ghiani et al. (2014) studied the
impact of a well-organized collection places located on the zoning stage
in MSW organization. The authors examined two decisional issues
emerging when arranging the accumulation of solid waste, specifically
the area of collection locales and the zoning of the administrative re-
gion. The study proposed an exact and a heuristic strategy to position
the unsorted waste containers in a community area and to make a de-
cision on the features of the bins placed at each collection location.
Computational outcomes on information identified with a genuine ex-
ample demonstrate that an effective area is major in accomplishing
steady money savings in addition to a decreased ecological effect. These
decreases are the aftereffect of one vehicle less expected to play out the
waste collection tasks, and a by and large traveled distance diminished
by about twenty-five percent on the normal.
6. Concluding remarks
In waste management systems, several parameters, for example, the
rate of waste production, disposal facility, treatment cost, and their
relations may be uncertain and can influence the associated
263
Journal of Environmental Management 240 (2019) 259–265
optimization processes. These uncertainty problems in waste manage-
ment were addressed by using various inexact programming methods.
For example, fuzzy, stochastic programming, and interval programming
techniques were generally used for solving the uncertainty-related
waste management problems. The analysis revealed that the efficiency
of waste management system can be maximized by the proper use of
these optimization techniques. In this approach, an uncertainty pro-
blem is reduced into several subproblems with sureness by using the
minimax regret optimization technique. And these subproblems are
focused on a calculation where the lament of not getting the goal is
minimized. The analysis also revealed that the fuzzy-stochastic method
was increasingly used for dealing with the waste management system
uncertainty in recent times. Because this approach improves the system
robustness as it is equipped for reflecting a waste manager's certainty
stage over skewed decisions. Furthermore, this approach can permit
comprehensive examinations of diverse arrangement situations that are
connected to dissimilar dimensions of financial punishments when the
waste-allotment targets are disregarded. It is apparent from the analysis
that the linear programming-based two-stage fuzzy-robust optimization
models were effectively used for managing the uncertainty problems of
waste management. In two-stage encoding, first, the waste portion is
determined to result from the distinct amount of waste production at
the supply, after that the digressed waste amount is assigned to a fa-
cility. The literature analysis disclosed that every one of these techni-
ques, however, just spotlights on an individual uncertainty which may
lead to complexities in handling occurrences of multiple vulnerabilities
which is generally the case in an MSW management framework. Thus,
these programming methods need to be combined together to take care
of the coexistence of several uncertainties in municipal solid waste
management. The analysis further revealed that the integrated solid
waste management approach has been extensively used for managing
the uncertainty problems. However, due to the inclusive nature of this
approach, its application in waste planning in developing nations is
difficult, mainly due to the lack of appropriate information on waste
production and the constraint of funds and skill.
Acknowledgments
The author communicates his genuine thanks to the editor, guest
editor, and three anonymous reviewers whose helpful remarks and in-
tuitive suggestions have led to extensive improvement to the earlier
versions of the manuscript.
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