Heuristic Algorithm to Locate Solid‐Waste Disposal Site

Abstract

Choosing a site for disposal of solid waste is a difficult problem for many cities. Recent interest in public facilities has led to the development of several modeling approaches in facilities location. A common planning problem is to locate new facilities to maximize service to an existing population. This decision is based on distance; cost; and environmental, social and political issues. The decision of where to locate a solid‐waste facility can be simplified if the costs associated with any location can be estimated and the minimum‐cost location technique based on map distances. The technique is easy to use and understand and reduces the number of locations to consider. The exact costs are situation dependent and are not covered in this paper. An example of the application of this methodology is given. This heuristic technique can also be applied to other facility location problems for quick and feasible solution.