Title: Application of backcasting method and multi-criteria decision making in the development of scenarios for recycling concepts and selection of the best scenario

Authors: Sanda Midžić Kurtagić; Branko Vučijak

Addresses: Mechanical Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Vilsonovo šetalište 9, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina ' Mechanical Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Vilsonovo šetalište 9, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract: The EU member states are expected to achieve an increase in recycling and preparing for the re-use of municipal waste to 70% by the year 2030, in recycling and preparing for the re-use of packaging waste to 80% by 2030, etc. This explains the government's necessity for a tool that will set the goals to be achieved as its starting point and enable a retrospective approach in developing measures to achieve these goals. This is significantly different from the forecasting approach. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential use of combination of the two methods for decision making for selection of the best scenario for achieving solid waste goals: the backcasting method and the specific multi-criteria decision aid method, in the process of development and ranking of scenarios for solid waste management and more specifically in recycling options, tested on a pilot case in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Keywords: solid waste management; recycling options; backcasting; multicriteria decision making; MCDM; multicriteria decision analysis; MCDA; waste management indicators; multicriteria ranking; VIKOR; scenario development; scenario selection; EU member states; European Union; municipal solid waste; MSW; packaging waste; Sarajevo; Bosnia and Herzegovina.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2016.081067

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2016 Vol.15 No.4, pp.346 - 359

Received: 16 Jan 2016
Accepted: 19 Aug 2016
Published online: 19 Dec 2016 *

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