A fuzzy group Electre method for safety and health assessment in hazardous waste recycling facilities

Decision making in environmental problems is a complex task due to multiple and often conflicting criteria, varying measurements, qualitative and quantitative input parameters, and lack of exact data. In this paper, we propose a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model based on an integrated fuzzy approach in the context of Hazardous Waste Recycling (HWR). The proposed method: (a) takes into consideration judgments provided by multiple decision makers (DMs); (b) is based on a structured but yet flexible framework; (c) considers quantitative objective data and qualitative subjective judgments; (d) captures the ambiguity and impreciseness in DMs’ judgments, and (e) results in a final priority ranking which is not vague. We demonstrate the application of the proposed model for safety and health assessment in HWR facilities. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.