Waste collection route optimisation for the second waste-to-energy plant in Budapest

• A novel method of municipal solid waste (MSW) collection route optimization • Population-dependent waste generation calculation method using image processing • The concept of linear MSW density: waste generation divided by road length • Accurate modelling of the transport road length covered using linear MSW density • Efficient novel optimization programming approach with less processing requirements The city of Budapest produces approximately 680-700 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, of which less than 2/3 is being recycled or used for energetic purposes, the rest ends up in a landfill. To combat this environmental and logistical problem the installation of a second waste incineration plant has been proposed in the south of the city. The only cost associated with fuel consumption in the case of waste to energy powerplants (WtE plants) is the transport cost, as the city council provides economic support for waste disposal. Since the transportation has a huge influence on the cost of opertation, logistical optimisation of the transport routes promises a direct impact on cost savings. In this study the logistical optimisation of the Southern Budapest area was carried out using image processing and logic based algorithm programming. As a result the optimal transport of 230 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) was solved resulting in a 4 835.2 km monthly travel distance reduction.This value can be translated to 7 823 €/month cost, 9 459.6 kg/month CO 2 and 45.3 kg/month NO x emissions reduction in the urban areas.