A GIS-Based Optimization Technique for Spatial Location of Municipal Waste Bins in a Developing City

Abstract

Prime spatial features such as environmental constraints and indigenous transit routes which determine optimal waste bin locations in developing areas are often neglected. In this study, we illustrate a technique that includes these features to determine the optimal locations of waste bins for case study in Ilorin, Nigeria. The built-in solver for p-median problems in the Geographic information system (GIS)-based package; TransCAD v. 5.0 was used to determine the optimal locations of one to ten waste bins. This optimization technique requires less computational time and the output of ten computer runs showed that partial service coverage was obtained when p=1 to 5 while full service coverage was achieved with p≥6. Also the GIS optimized waste bin locations tend to be more accessible to waste generators than the empirical waste bin locations. Hence, this technique has the potential to improve service coverage and public satisfaction in developing areas.

Keywords: Municipal solid waste; Geographic information system; waste bin; optimal location; developing city.