PRIORITIZATION OF ALTERNATIVES IN WASTE MANAGEMENT: A CASE IN PERNAMBUCO STATE, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT

Waste sorting is a core element for adding value to the recycling chain. Exploring and prioritizing alternatives regarding its expansion and improvement is very challenging. This study proposes a multi-methodological approach through the integration of a Problem Structuring Method (PSM) and a multicriteria method (MCDA/M) to support decision-making in the solid waste management context. The developed model uses Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in the problem structuring stage to explore the problematic situation and identify alternatives. Preference modeling was conducted in a flexible and interactive manner, aided by FITradeoff method to rank the identified alternatives and obtain a recommendation. The proposed model was developed for a real case study in Brazil. In the elicitation process, the decision maker answered 9 questions to obtain the ordering of alternatives. This work seeks to enrich the literature proposing the successful application of an innovative model in the waste management context, especially regarding waste sorting.

Keywords:
soft systems methodology; FITradeoff; solid waste management; waste sorting; multimethodologies