Collection and transport of municipal solid waste in a developing country: the case of Greater Beirut Area in Lebanon

Waste generation has increased globally due to the fast-economic development and urbanisation. In developing countries, many factors are contributing in increasing its generation. In this paper, different methodologies to adopt a better action plan into the solid waste management system in Greater Beirut Area in Lebanon were applied. The main objectives were to: 1) provide a geographical mapping distribution of the solid waste bins in Greater Beirut; 2) select the best solid waste collection route; 3) perform cost calculation of the collection phase; 4) calculate the greenhouse gases emissions. SWOT analysis, QGIS software, Euclidean travelling salesman problem method were employed. For a proper solid waste management system, 7,127 bins are needed to be distributed in Beirut, and 52 trucks to collect the waste. Application of Euclidean travelling salesman problem yielded for choosing a shorter solid waste collection route. Circular economy should be adopted in Lebanon to achieve zero waste.