Title: Waste management facility expansion planning using simulation-optimisation with grey programming and penalty functions

Authors: Julian Scott Yeomans

Addresses: Operations Management and Information Systems Area, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

Abstract: Simulation-Optimisation (SO) techniques, which incorporate inherent system uncertainties using probability distributions, have been used for optimal waste management planning. While SO can be applied to numerous stochastic problems, its solution times vary considerably from one implementation to the next. In this study, SO has been concurrently combined with both penalty functions and a Grey Programming (GP) technique in order to efficiently generate sets of numerous, good policy alternatives an approach referred to as modelling-to-generate-alternatives. The efficacy of this approach is illustrated on a planning problem for expanding a landfill and municipal waste management facilities.

Keywords: waste management planning; modelling-to-generate alternatives; decision making; uncertainty; simulation; optimisation; strategy; grey programming; modelling; landfill planning; municipal solid waste; MSW; penalty functions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2012.048375

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2012 Vol.10 No.2/3, pp.269 - 283

Published online: 13 Dec 2014 *

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