Abstract
Given the environmental impacts produced by the growing increase in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and their current inadequate management, this article proposes a mathematical model to define the best location for installing WEEE collection points. The objective is to minimize the cost of the reverse logistics system concerning transportation, installation, opportunity cost, and distance between points and demand. We used a heuristic created from the greedy randomized adaptive search procedure and genetic algorithm meta-heuristics to solve the model, with part of the model variables being defined by another heuristic or by the JuMP v.0.21.2 and CLP Solver v.0.7.1 packages, to guarantee an optimal response to a subproblem of these variables. The model and its solver were written in the Julia Programming Language and executed in two test scenarios. In the first, three vehicles with small loads must collect at five points. In the second, a vehicle with greater available capacity must collect at five points. The results obtained show that the mathematical model and the heuristic are adequate to solve the problem. Thus, we understood that the proposed method contributes to the literature, given the criticality of the current scenario concerning the management of WEEE, and it can assist managers and public policymakers when providing inputs for decision-making related to the choice of the best location for installing collection points.
Highlights
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), known as e-waste, has been recognized as a problem from the environmental point of view, as it contains substances that are harmful to human health and the environment [1,2]
There are practically no collection points or sufficient information available to start a process of collection and proper disposal of WEEE nor are there agreements signed between governments, companies, cooperatives, and consumers related to this commitment [1]
This situation will change with the Sectorial Agreement for the implementation of the Reverse Logistics System for Electrical and Electronic Products, and their Components, which was signed on 31 October 2019 and had its extract published in the Diário Oficial da
Summary
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), known as e-waste, has been recognized as a problem from the environmental point of view, as it contains substances that are harmful to human health and the environment [1,2]. There are practically no collection points or sufficient information available to start a process of collection and proper disposal of WEEE nor are there agreements signed between governments, companies, cooperatives, and consumers related to this commitment [1]. This situation will change with the Sectorial Agreement for the implementation of the Reverse Logistics System for Electrical and Electronic Products, and their Components, which was signed on 31 October 2019 and had its extract published in the Diário Oficial da.
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