Gh. Huang et al., CAPACITY PLANNING FOR AN INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM UNDER UNCERTAINTY - A NORTH-AMERICAN CASE-STUDY, Waste management and research, 15(5), 1997, pp. 523-546
In this paper, a grey integer-programming (GIP) formulation for the ca
pacity planning of an integrated waste management system under uncerta
inty is applied to a North American case study,The GIP model is formul
ated by introducing concepts of grey systems and grey decisions into a
mixed integer linear programming (MILP) framework. The approach has a
n advantage in that uncertain information (presented as interval numbe
rs) can be effectively communicated into the optimization processes an
d resulting solutions, such that feasible decision alternatives can be
generated through interpretation and analysis of the grey solutions a
ccording to projected applicable system conditions. Moreover, the GIP
solution algorithm does not lead to more complicated intermediate mode
ls, and thus has lower computational requirements than other integer-p
rogramming methods that deal with uncertainties. The proposed model is
used for the long-term planning of waste management facility expansio
n/utilization in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth (RMHW
), Ontario, Canada. The binary decision variables in the model represe
nt the ranges of facility expansion/development alternatives within a
multi-period, multi-facility and multi-scale context, and the grey con
tinuous variables represent waste flows along the routes connecting th
e municipalities and the waste management facilities. The results indi
cate that reasonable solutions have been generated through this grey m
athematical programming approach. The case study results are potential
ly useful for MSW decision-makers in the RMHW for the long-term planni
ng of the Region's waste management activities and for formulating rel
ated local policies/regulations regarding waste generation and managem
ent, and may stimulate the interest of waste management professionals
in other jurisdictions on the use of this type of modelling approach f
or their specific long-range planning applications. (C) 1997 ISWA.