Maximising Efficiency in Domestic Waste Collection through Improved Fleet Management

This paper presents the results of a study funded by the Department for Transport investigating various strategies for optimising domestic waste collections, including joint working arrangements and alternate weekly collection. This was achieved with the aid of routing and scheduling software (Logix by DPS International). Using domestic collection round data from three waste collection authorities in north Hampshire (Basingstoke and Deane, Hart and Rushmoor), a refuse collection vehicle (RCV) mileage saving of 3% was modelled for joint working, where vehicles continued to operate out of their existing depots. This increased to 5.9% when vehicles were re-allocated to depots optimally. The study suggested that to minimise domestic RCV mileage, vehicle depots should be located at the waste disposal sites. Alternate weekly collection was modelled to reduce both vehicle mileage and time taken by around 15%, when compared with a typical scenario of weekly collection of residual waste and fortnightly collection of recyclable waste. These results were based on the assumption that 20% of the residual waste would be directly diverted into the dry recyclables waste stream. The paper also reports on the benefits that might accrue from optimising routes and round structures, introducing longer shifts, combining collections of residual and recyclable waste, relocating depots and allowing an element of commercial waste collection on domestic rounds.