Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Waste Management in City of Karaj, Iran

The aim of this paper is to compare various waste management strategies in City of Karaj (Iran) and to select the best one by a decision-making method. According to existing problems such as no Source Separation and Dirty Compost, best strategy selection based on the Multi Criteria Analysis is essential. In particular, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a mathematical technique for multi-criteria decision making is used in this paper. This article compares three waste management strategies that include various practices (Source Separation, Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT), Refused Derived Fuel (RDF), Incineratiiin, Anaerobic Digestion and Landfilling). These strategies are compared using the environmental, social and economical criteria. Eight considered criteria and strategies are weighted based on the AHP method to select the best one. The results show that the second strategy provides the best solution for waste management which includes Source Separation, Compost production, MBT, RDF and Landfilling. Furthermore, this paper suggests various solution that minimize environmental impacts, social cost and improve public acceptance.