ROUTE OPTIMIZATION FOR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITES IN GONDIA, MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA

Municipal solid waste is mainly generated due to urbanization and development and has emerged as a severe threat to environment. Inappropriate disposal of municipal solid waste may harmfully affect environment and human health. Municipal solid waste management is desired for the solution of the problem of solid waste disposal pertaining to protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources. Gondia Municipal Council’s solid waste management in this study involves the collection of waste from various locations to some common point known as waste collection centre. The collected waste is then transported to nearest available facilities namely landfill site and disposal site. The main aim of this study is to exhibit the route optimization model for fixing collection centers, considering capacity of automobile as 3 tons being used for assortment and the distance between optimized collection centers and disposal facilities of solid waste with potential routes. The least distance locations of waste centers may be utilized by the municipal solid waste management for cost effectiveness with an objective of sustainable development of city. The outcome of the study reveals effective reduction of 22255 meters of distance coved per day by the automobile.