GIS Based Route Optimization for Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Surat City

In a municipal solid waste management system, collection/hauling costs, which consist of 85 % of total disposal expenditure, can be decreased by optimizing routes. Geographic information systems (GIS) can be valuable tools in the environmental planner’s toolbox, saving time, money and headaches when planning collection routes. To use route optimization process, data related in present spending, truck type and capacity, solid waste production, number of inhabitants and Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver data for each route is collected and all the data are analyzed with each other. For two wards of the south zone of Surat city, a shortest path model can be used in order to optimize solid waste collection/hauling processes, as minimum cost can be aimed. The ArcGIS software as an optimization tool is used for that purpose. After performing routes by the software, the optimized routes are compared with the present routes.