Development of solutions to medical waste management withSwot analysis and multi-criteria decision making techniques

Medical wastes should be carefully managed due to their high environmental risks. This study, which aims to determine the most appropriate treatment/disposal method for medical waste by revealing the current state, is resulted in significant data in terms of medical waste management. The methods determined within the scope of medical waste management (Incineration, Microwave Irradiation, Sterilization and Chemical Disinfection) were subjected to SWOT analysis according to the selected criteria (Investment and Operational Cost, Volumetric Reduction after the Process, Energy Recovery through Greenhouse Gas Emission) and current situation is examined in all its aspects. At this point, it is possible to use Multi-Criteria Decision Making Techniques (MCDM), in which the most suitable alternative can be selected with the help of certain criteria in problem solving in many fields. The determined criteria were weighted with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and CRITIC methods. With the results obtained from each weighting method, evaluations were made using the AHP, COPRAS and MULTIMOORA methods separately. In the AHP, COPRAS and MULTIMOORA results obtained with all the weighting methods used, incineration alternative was determined as priority followed by microwave irradiation alternative.