Application of AHP for the development of waste management systems that minimize infection risks in developing countries : case studies Lesotho and South Africa

Abstract

This paper focuses on the establishment of waste management systems that minimize infection risks in the context of sustainable development in the developing country situations. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a known multi-criteria decision-analysis approach, has been incorporated with international Life Cycle Management best practice to subsequently develop a decision support tool (WasteOpt) to optimise developing country rural Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) systems to address a main objective of HCWM systems, i.e. to minimize infection of patients and workers, and the public within the system. The tool was applied to two case studies: the sub-Saharan African countries of Lesotho and South Africa. Quantitative weightings from the AHP are used to identify alternative systems that have similar outcomes in meeting the systems objective, but may have different cost structures and infection risks. The two case studies illustrate how the WasteOpt tool can be used (with strengths and weaknesses) in waste management decision support.