Title: Application of the assignment technique to optimisation of solid waste management in Enugu region

Authors: Paul A. Ozor; Peter O. Chigozirim; Anthony O. Odukwe; Joshua I. Ume; Chigbogu G. Ozoegwu

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria ' Top line Schools, Housing Estate, Phase 1, Off Refinery Road, Elelenwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract: Solid waste management practices are sometimes implemented with the key objective of taking solid wastes to central destination depots in no particular order. This method often results in different environmental, economic, social and regulatory difficulties. Specific waste management paradigms can provide instrumental control on operation of solid waste managers. This paper proposes decentralisation of landfill sites with a rigid assignment of such sites to demarcated geographical zones. The definite problem was inspired by a case not found in literature. Allocation of the proposed sites was formulated as an assignment problem and optimal schedules obtained using Hungarian method. The approach was tested on data from a real world case in Eastern Nigeria and compared to the existing practice utilised by the waste management authority. The results show that implementation of the proposed schedule can lead to 70% reduction in the subsisting cost of waste disposal with 21% return on capital investment.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; MSW; optimisation; allocation; assignment problem; Hungarian method; Enugu.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2017.083562

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2017 Vol.19 No.1, pp.52 - 73

Received: 04 Apr 2016
Accepted: 25 Dec 2016
Published online: 10 Apr 2017 *

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