Alternative transport methods for integrated waste management systems

The management of wastes with minimum cost and environmental burden has recently gained importance in terms of circular economy. In this study, alternatives for the transportation of wastes by rail and road were defined and the comparison of these alternatives using cost, environmental and social criteria within the scope of multi-criteria decision making was determined using the Right Choice (2.0) decision making model software. The necessary data for the model were obtained by questionnaire and literature review. In this context, the transportation of waste by road is shown with Alternative 1, while the transportation by rail is represented by Alternative 2 (with truck and trailer), Alternative 3 (trailer only) and Alternative 4 (waste only). As a result, it was determined that the optimum option to transfer the wastes specified in Alternative 4, only by loading the wastes on the wagons (without the use of truck and trailers). Accordingly, the low operation-maintenance cost of Alternative 4, in other words, its high performance on this criterion and the high relative importance of the operation-maintenance cost criterion by the stakeholders play a role. Likewise, the number of personnel required for Alternative 4 is low compared to other alternatives. With rail transport, the waiting time of wastes and the need for operational workload are significantly reduced. While the transfer of 1000 tons of waste over the road is provided by approximately 50 trucks (50 separate voyages), 2 trains (in case of transporting wastes with truck and/or trailer) or 3 trains (only transporting of wastes) are needed for the railway. Keywords: Environmental burden, Circular economy, Cost, Decision making model, Waste management