Development of an on-Spot Bio-Waste Screening Methodology with Vehicle Selection Using Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA): Implementation in the Municipality of Chalkis, Greece

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) creates many problems, which arise both from proper and unconstrained disposal. The purpose of this paper is to examine the new scenery that develops in the area of MSW collection while applying the on-spot screening method for bio-waste. Bio-waste could be defined as the food waste generated by households, restaurants, food sector services, the food retail sector, and food processing companies. It also includes biodegradable waste from parks and gardens. For this purpose, a case study is used, that of the Municipality of Chalkis, Greece. There is a short description of the current situation regarding the management of MSW in the Municipality of Chalkis. Next, a specific area of Chalkis, i.e., Nea Artaki, is located, and the bio-waste collection is examined as a separate current. In this frame, there is a description and evaluation of alternative systems of on-spot bio-waste screening at the source, followed by the definition of any equipment needed, such as road garbage bins, in-house garbage bins, biodegradable bags, etc. in a systematic way. Next, using a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method, i.e., the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the appropriate transfer vehicle was chosen while taking into account the route and the deposition location, i.e., a vehicle with two separate garbage collector compartments of MSW and not a conventional garbage truck. The experience gained was standardized in a specific methodology formulated to be implemented by Greek municipalities in harmonization with the national waste management plan for the separate collection of bio-waste.