An integrated programme for municipal solid waste management

A mathematical model is used in planning an integrated programme for the management of municipal solid waste to solve an economical optimisation problem and allow preliminary decisions to be made at the operational planning phase. The model, based on networks depicting the municipal solid waste management cycle, is simple to apply and furnishes easily assimilated results that facilitate management choices. Its application in an optimised area within the Regione Campania in Italy demonstrates how it may be used to evaluate the economic advantages pertaining to different municipal solid waste collection and treatment options.