Curbside collection of recyclables. II. Simulation and economic analysis

Jess W. Everett, Ramesh Dorairaj, Sumit Maratha, Patrick Riley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Curbside collection of recyclable material can be expensive because the inherent costs of curbside collection are high, but also because amounts collected per residence are small compared to the total waste stream, and extra activity may be required, such as sorting. In this paper a simulation model is used to investigate the effect of collection method and route characteristics on route time. The simulation models presented calculate set- out amount based on route characteristics, set-out rate (SOR), and participation rate (PR). Route times are estimated for various conditions: constant SOR, constant PR, and constant set-out amount. Furthermore, a method for using route time to estimate vehicle and labor needs is presented, and used to estimate economic costs for one and two-person crew collection methods for the three simulation conditions mentioned above. The two-person crew is found to cost less than the one-person crew, for most simulated conditions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)217-240
Number of pages24
JournalResources, Conservation and Recycling
Volume22
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1998
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Economics and Econometrics

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