Municipal solid waste management considering NGO’s role in consumer environmental awareness and government regulations for air pollution

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in increasing customer environmental awareness (CEA) to decrease the municipal solid waste (MSW), and secondly, to examine the effect of government policies in the amount of air pollution caused by transfer stations (TSs). Design/methodology/approach This study proposes a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model. For solving this multi-objective problem, the authors use epsilon constraint method, which presented eight Pareto solutions. For selecting the best solution, the analytic hierarchy process approach is used. The presented model is applied on a real case study, and the results are discussed and sensitivity analysis is implemented on the parameters of the concern. Findings This study confirms the assumption that by allocating budget to NGOs for increasing CEA, the produced waste will be decreased. Research limitations/implications In the present study, the authors only investigate air pollution caused by TS. Future studies can investigate other types of pollution. Furthermore, uncertainty in the amount of produced waste can be variable making the problem closer to the real environment. In this case, robust optimization may have better results. Practical implications Based on the results of sensitivity analysis, some implications obtain that can highlight by managers in the decision-making process. The operational costs of TS have a critical aspect in founding TS, so using new technology and high-tech machines for operational processes of TSs, can result in decreasing the running cost of TSs. Also, the determination of TS capacity is a remarkable issue in optimization, which should be paid special attention to this for the design of TSs in the planning phase of the system. Moreover, collaborating with NGOs has a good effect on increasing CEA that results in a decrease of MSW. Originality/value The role of NGOs and government simultaneity has been considered in a green supply chain. Moreover, the authors considered TS between source and disposal that reduce the time of transferring waste. Therefore, this study can be beneficial for the MSW management system, which faces the problems in the lack of capacity and transportation problems and environmental issues by proposing solutions in three studies including economic, environmental and social aspects.

Comparative analysis on perspectives of environmental and non-environmental NGOs on solid waste management in Jos metropolis, Nigeria

“…Habila & Bogoro (2021) revealed that in Africa, policy and funding are major issues affecting SWM. Rabbani et al (2020) also confirmed the 'assumption that by allocating budget (funds) to NGOs for increasing Consumer Environmental Awareness (CEA), the produced waste will be decreased. '…”

“…Singh & Dey (2015) working in different municipalities of Nanipur, India found the NGOs that are capable to make remarkable contributions in the management of municipal solid waste and hence recommended the municipal authority to work with NGOs and other local civic bodies in managing the solid waste problem in the municipality. Study by Rabbani et al (2020) confirmed to be true the 'assumption that by allocating budget (funds) to NGOs for increasing consumer environmental awareness (CEA), the produced waste will be decreased. Similarly, a study in Shanghai by Arantes et al (2020) revealed that NGOs are very effective intermediaries between state and society in promoting environmental governance practices, and that a collaborative governance model can enhance public participation in waste classification, among other things, in urban areas.…”

Decision Support Frameworks in Solid Waste Management: A Systematic Review of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making with Sustainability and Social Indicators

“…Govind Kharat et al [74] proposed a fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) to obtain the critical factors obtained from expert groups working in the field of WM for the evaluation of technology alternatives. Rabbani et al [71] examined the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in increasing customer environmental awareness (CEA) to decrease MSW. Thus, a noticeable pattern from this collection of papers is the use of MADM methods to define criteria and collect stakeholders' preferences, a feature that is complicated to achieve when only using MODM methods, making the combination of methods an attractive approach.…”

Analyzing Public Environmental Concerns at the Threshold to Reduce Urban Air Pollution

“…Governments have the capability to improve air quality through policy change [24]. The COVID-19 pandemic reveals just how seriously governments take their responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of the populations they govern [25], and restricting activity to limit pathogen spread can have other public health repercussions, such as reducing air pollution levels [26]. Social media is a useful tool for collecting data about public opinion and conducting analysis of air pollution.…”