A new paradigm in solid waste collection systems design and operation

A new solid waste collection model, called MST, has been developed. It is a result of combining System Thinking and Aggregation Theory and it takes into account real world constraints such as collection frequency, labor shifts and both preventive and corrective maintenance. MST is a paradigm shift in solid waste collection systems design and operation. It makes possible a more efficient utilization of resources (vehicles and labor) and it is robust against variability sources. MST is the result of having challenged and invalidated a deeply rooted assumption in all models developed up to date. Simulation and Design Of Experiments were used to compare MST against existing models. Experimental resultsshow significant reduction in the number of trips(Up to 33%), crews(Up to 49%) and vehicles (Up to 40%), which means dramatic operation cost and investment improvements. ©International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS).