MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL - Environmentally Conscious Materials Handling - page 163

goal programming focus on the minimizations of the deviations from the
target values of each goal subject to both goal constraints and original func-
tional constraints. Chang and Wang (1997) propose a goal-programming
model to evaluate the compatibility issues between MSW recycling and
incineration. It addresses the goals of economic efficiency (cost/benefit
analysis) and environmental protection involved in the solid waste collec-
tion, recycling, and treatment tasks (combustions temperatures and recy-
cling ratios).
• Outranking methods . Electre and Promethee are the commonly used out-
ranking decision-aid methods in solving various environmental problems.
These outranking methods have been recommended for situations where
there is a finite number of discrete alternatives. An important advantage
of outranking methods is the ability to deal with ordinal and more or
less descriptive information on the alternative methods or processes to be
evaluated. Furthermore, the uncertainty concerning the values of the crite-
rion variables can be taken into account using fuzzy relations, determined
by indifference and preference thresholds. The main drawback of these
methods is the interpretation of the results obtained. In the Electre meth-
ods, there is no need to turn the outcomes into monetary dimensions. The
method provides the possibility to take into account the preferences of
decision makers and any other external factor to be considered in the eval-
uation. Electre II method (Hokkanen et. al. 1995) and Electre III method
(Karagiannidis and Moussiopoulos 1997; Hokkanen and Salminen 1997;
Hokkanen, et al. 1995) were used to identify the best municipal solid waste
management system among incineration, RDF combustion, and landfilling
for a region.

14 FUTURE TRENDS IN MSW MANAGEMENT

It is ironic that while the MSW is buried in the landfill or burned in the incin-
erator, the manufacturers extract new raw materials to make some of the same
products (e.g., plastics and paper products). All MSW management alternatives
are associated with costs, and the cost is expected to go up. Although in the
past the MSW management strived to select the best alternatives to managing
the generated waste—with the awareness of environmental impact of the MSW
management and the pursuit of sustainable development—reduction by waste
prevention and reuse should be the first priority for MSW management. Unfor-
tunately, while the U.S. EPA did encourage reduce, reuse, and recycling as the
tiered integrated waste management strategy, RCRA and other federal guidelines
are concentrated on the safe design of disposal facilities, especially the landfill
design. Therefore, the overall MSW generation rate has not started a decreasing
trend yet in the United States. European countries are usually more aggressive in
waste reduction and recycling. For example, a recent presentation in the United