A study on sustainable system for managing municipal solid waste through a multi-criteria group decision-making technique

Municipal solid waste management, a unique aspect of sustainable development, is a crucial social-ecological system that intersects with the economy, society, and environment. The introduction of volume-based waste fees in some developed countries has been a step towards promoting recycling and waste reduction. However, the sustainability of high recycling targets and the impact of public satisfaction on waste management efficiency are areas that demand further exploration. A review of the literature on municipal solid waste management and technology selection from various countries reveals that many studies need more precise justification and a resolution to the ambiguity in decision-making. Meanwhile, some researchers have developed the fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making technique in the context of waste management. However, significant performance criteria for ’5R’s (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle)’ waste management technology selection and cause-and-effect group criteria still need to be identified. This study strongly emphasizes the potential of the ’5R’s’ waste management system to revolutionize waste management practices. The ’5R’s’ waste management system uses a multi-criteria group decision-making technique using fuzzy-based artificial intelligence methods, employing the novel fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution. This study also proposes a new way to rank generalized interval type-2 trapezoidal fuzzy numbers and defuzzifies them to address the uncertainties that arise when using fuzzy linguistic terms to make decisions. Finally, a numerical example of the ’5R’s’ waste management problem is discussed with new ranking methods and compared with existing methods, underscoring the significant potential of the ’5R’s’ waste management system.