Selecting Sustainable Technologies for Municipal Solid Waste Treatment and Disposal: An Expert Based MCDM Approach

Abstract

Selection of appropriate municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment and disposal technology is a complex multi-criteria process. This paper demonstrates the reliability of the use of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework for the purpose of selecting the best MSW treatment and disposal alternatives. In this paper, a modified fuzzy Delphi-AHP-TOPSIS methodology is developed for the selection of the most appropriate MSW treatment and disposal technology. The study provides a systematic three-stage methodology towards technology selection. In the first stage, experts' opinions were sought to select the relevant criteria and the fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was used to obtain the critical factors for the evaluation of alternatives. In the second stage, the criteria weights and their importance degree were calculated by using AHP. Finally, the TOPSIS technique was used for ranking the alternatives to determine the most appropriate option. The study identifies a minimal relevant set of evaluation criteria and appropriate technologies for the handling, treatment and disposal of MSW in a more economical and environmentally sustainable way. Thus, the developed MCDM framework enables decision-makers to make informed decisions and achieve optimal results. It helps the decision makers select the best possible technology in a scientific manner. To demonstrate the approach taken, a real case of Mumbai city is taken.