ON SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: MODELING PUBLIC ANNOYANCE AND CONVENIENCE FROM TEMPORARY STORAGE CONTAINERS.

The aim of the presented work is to develop a model in order to assess the annoyance and the convenience that are caused by waste bins in the proximity of residential blocks and to demonstrate the application of the model in the form of a Geographic Information System (GIS). The model introduces two related indices that are influenced by parameters like the population of the area, the distance between bins and buildings and the number of bins. The model is then applied to a part of the Thessaloniki urban area in Northern Greece. The results of the model are introduced into a Geographic Information System, in order to classify and visualize the annoyance and convenience caused in different residential blocks. The theoretical model presented in the current paper, in combination with a GIS platform, can be a useful tool for municipal authorities responsible for waste management, who want to keep track of bin allocation in their area, minimize annoyance and maximize convenience for all residents. The GIS can also be enriched and combined with modules for the optimization of the routing of collection vehicles and for keeping track of the general characteristics of each area (number of inhabitants, waste production, etc). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]