Collection of solid waste in municipal areas: Urban logistics

Abstract

A sustainable process satisfies the current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs; that is, it must have a triple impact (sustainability): social, economic, and environmental. In México, there are several services that the government must provide to society for its proper development, for example, the collection of solid waste. Urban logistics include all the processes and operations that provide a service to the community, such as water, safety, health, waste collection, etc., providing the service with the lowest possible cost (economic, social, and environmental) that contributes to the sustainability of the city. Due to the accelerated growth of the world population, several environmental problems have arisen, among them, the generation of solid waste in important quantities; their proper management is relevant for adequate development of the population. The collection of solid waste in municipal areas aims to grant green spaces and recreation areas for the citizens. Although an outstanding effort has been made by the government to provide an adequate service, there are still gaps in the application of correct tools that guarantee efficiency in operations and continuity in services. This article presents a proposal to improve the planning of the design of territories for the cleaning, weeding, and collection of solid waste in municipal areas, using two MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) models. The main contribution of the adaptation of this model is the application to the weeding and waste collection service municipality of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, which considers important factors among which are the amount of waste, frequency, and service coverage.