A Novel Approach of Quantum based Multi-Criteria Decision Making on Sustainable Waste Management Methods

Objectives: Environmental conservation is the need of the hour and environmentalists across the globe are working towards the attainment of a sustainable society. This research work proposes a novel approach to quantum-based multi-criterion decision-making, integrating the method of ITARA (Indifference Threshold-based Attribute Ratio Analysis) in selecting sustainable waste mitigation methods. Methods: The traditional decision methods lack the competency in handling the uncertainty, cognitive interferences and contextual conflicts in evaluation. The newly developed approach is based on the principles of quantum mathematics, especially state superposition and probabilistic preference evaluation. The proposed approach is applied to the decision-making problem consisting of five alternatives and five criteria for evaluating waste management methods. The employment of quantum probability and inner product calculations facilitates handling ambiguity and interference among criteria. Findings: The results demonstrate that the proposed quantum-ITARA model achieves a 14.8% improvement in accuracy of preference ranking compared with conventional MCDM methods, while reducing decision inconsistency by 12.3%. Among the five alternatives, the model identified Alternative A3 as the most sustainable option with an overall quantum-evaluated score of 0.842, followed by A2 (0.765) and A5 (0.701). These measurable outcomes substantiate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in deriving an optimal and reliable solution to the problem of selecting a sustainable waste management method. Novelty: A novel approach to quantum-based multi-criterion decision-making is proposed, integrating ITARA with quantum probability and mathematical principles to address uncertainty, cognitive interferences, and contextual conflicts in sustainable waste management evaluation. Keywords: ITARA, Quantum, Optimal, Sustainability, Waste Management