Waste Collection in Urban Areas: A Case Study

The Optimization for Networked Data in Environmental Urban Waste Collection (ONDE-UWC) project is, to the best of our knowledge, the first attempt to apply the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm to the field of waste collection. Sensors installed in dumpsters and garbage trucks share data, such as weight measurements and the number of user accesses. In this study, we schedule the weekly waste-collection activities for multiple types of waste without imposing periodic routes. An important characteristic of this project is that we consider heterogeneous stakeholders with different backgrounds and knowledge. In this context, we apply the GUEST OR methodology, highlighting how it can support the decision-making process to reduce the effects of these differences. As a result, we reduced the time required to implement the solution, increased operational efficiency, and achieved cost savings.