OPTIMIZING ROUTING OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION VEHICLES IN DEIR EL-BALAH – GAZA STRIP

Abstract

Solid waste collection routing is one of the main components of solid waste management. Despite the fact that the collection process constitutes 74% of solid waste management cost, it has been given little attention. The collection process becomes more serious especially in the hot and arid seasons in Gaza. This research optimizes the routing system for Deir El-Balah, Gaza Strip, using Mixed Integer-Programming (MIP) model. The model minimizes the total distance traveled by the collection vehicles. Results show that the application of the model improves the collection system by reducing the total distance by 23.47% thus saving around US$1140 per month. Given the fact that most local authorities are financially weak, the resulting savings are so significant. The large savings may be attributed to the fact that in most developing countries, scientific tools of decision making and performance analysis are hardly used. It is recommended that the model be applied and implemented in other municipalities, thus several thousands of dollars can be saved every month.