Residential recycling: an Industrial Engineering approach to strategic waste collection

Abstract

Residential recycling has become something of a proverbial carrot or stick situation: either residents have the moral motivation to recycle, the carrot, or are forced to recycle due to local law, the stick. Households need to consider the recycling option as municipalities are not far from implementing recycling bylaws to conserve our natural environment in line with the 2008 waste act. This project proposes initiatives by presenting profit and non-profit business models with different waste collection strategies, drop-off and pick-up, to effectively sustain residential recycling in residential estates (gated communities) and conventional residential developments. The project also investigates international recycling systems. Systems-, process- and financial engineering are supported by a Monte Carlo simulation to further enhance the business models. A hands-on waste profile study provides a cornerstone to the project.