Effect of optimal routing on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption of waste collection trucks
Management of Environmental Quality
ISSN: 1477-7835
Article publication date: 1 March 2019
Issue publication date: 15 May 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to determine the effect of route optimization on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption of municipal solid waste (MSW) collection trucks.
Design/methodology/approach
The study modeled the existing waste collection routes in three local authorities in Ghana and proposed optimal routes using Esri’s ArcGIS Network Analyst Extension. The system generated optimal distances and times were validated by subjecting collection trucks to the optimal routes. Paired sample t-test was used to analyze the differences in means of the existing and optimal outcomes. The collected data were subjected to correlation and uncertainty analyses.
Findings
Results from the study indicated that weekly travel distance reduced by 81.27 km, translating into saving of 4.79 percent when trucks used the optimal routes. Travel time and fuel consumption reduced by 853.59 min and 145.86 L, making savings of 14.21 and 10.81 percent, respectively. Significant differences occurred between the means of the existing and optimal routes for travel time and fuel consumption, for each of the three local authorities.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in Ghana using data collected from three local authorities.
Practical implications
Significant reduction of MSW collection cost can be achieved by waste management practitioners through route optimization.
Originality/value
The effect of route optimization on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption has been established. Statistical analyses of the existing and optimal outcomes of the three local authorities have been provided. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that optimal routes reduce operating cost through savings in travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi (RWESCK) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi with funding from Ghana Government and the World Bank under the Africa Centres of Excellence Project. The views expressed in this paper do not reflect those of the World Bank, Ghana Government and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Citation
Sulemana, A., Donkor, E.A., Forkuo, E.K. and Oduro-Kwarteng, S. (2019), "Effect of optimal routing on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption of waste collection trucks", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 803-832. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-07-2018-0134
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited