Solid Waste Management: Equity Trade-Off Models

Abstract

In a previous paper, location models for regional solid waste management facilities based on efficiency criteria alone were presented. This paper presents a methodology for explicitly considering tradeoffs between system cost and various equity issues such as esthetics, size and number of regional facilities, haul across local political boundaries, and other factors important in the negotiation process which precedes implementation of such regional systems. The model is presented and a case study based on the Boston metropolitan area is developed to show the type of information that can be developed in such a context.