Towards a sustainable supply chain on plastic waste management : a multi-criteria optimization approach

Municipal solid waste and waste plastics are currently perceived as an environmental threat. Thermovalorization and recycling are the primary technologies used for disposal, with re- searchers and practitioners advocating for one or the other, but far from a definite consensus. Waste logistics on the other hand proved to be relevant from an economic point of view. The goal of this work is to integrate electric refuse collection vehicles into a waste supply chain structure, assess- ing its viability for waste collection and transportation. The problem follows a mixed-integer linear programming formulation. Results are analyzed, evaluated and ranked based on economic and envi- ronmental aspects to establish several possible outcomes and provide the necessary understanding for informed decision-making. The implementation of an electric fleet leads to an improvement of the overall system. Logistics are responsible for major expenditures, ranging from 37% to 80% of the total cost. The integration of an electric fleet significantly reduces the operating costs and leads to a payback time below 5 years. Additionally, the impact of logistics on environmental metrics is reduced by 30%. Sensitivity analysis on the cost of electricity reveals that solutions with lower environmental impact appear to be more robust.