Developing service-based web application for determining waste bin locations.

Abstract

Solid waste has become one of the critical problems of today's cities due to rapid population growth and uncontrolled urbanization. In urban waste management, waste bins are placed inefficiently and collection routes are often determined manually. This situation increases operating costs and causes some environmental and sociological problems. In this study, a web-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) application was developed that optimizes the locations of waste bins and determines the routes to transfer waste from these bins to transfer stations or disposal facilities for urban waste management. For the developed Web-GIS application, some scripts were designed in Python language that use real-time population data to optimize the locations of waste bins. ArcGIS Network Analyst Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP) tool was also used to determine the routes. The developed application aims to improve the efficiency of waste collection operations by optimizing bin placement and reducing travel distance. The developed application was tested in a region of the Ortahisar district in Trabzon/Türkiye where different scenarios can be evaluated. According to the results of the pilot region study, travel distance improved by 12.4% and operation time improved by approximately 44.58% compared to the current situation. It is evaluated that these improvements will also reduce carbon emissions and waste management costs. Additionally, this application can be scaled and adapted for use in other urban areas facing similar waste management challenges.Implications: The Solid Waste Management System (SWMS) has been developed to accurately collect and dispose of waste, addressing the mentioned problems. The SWMS offers the benefit of automating all activities from waste collection to disposal. This study aims to create a web-based application for SWMS to identify the most suitable locations for waste bins and routes to transfer solid waste from these bins to transfer stations or disposal facilities. As a result of the studies, it was determined that significant improvements could be made in route length, collection time and workforce, and that waste bins could be placed more efficiently.