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Abstract
System analysis for solid waste management has received wide attention from both economic and environmental planners because of the complex nature of these multi-faceted linkages between source generation, collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal. One of the recent issues in the operational program is how to properly handle the impacts due to various solid waste streams generated with varying heating values in different service area, which have to be destined for incineration and disposal. This paper explores a new idea that the optimal shipping strategy could be rearranged or reorganized from time to time with respect to the varying quantity and quality of solid waste streams in order to meet both the energy recovery and throughput requirements simultaneously in a solid waste management system. Through the application of goal programming models, research findings in this paper clearly indicate that such a management strategy may provide flexibility for those metropolitan regions where the problems of rapid growth of solid waste generation, residents' reluctance to adopt recycling activities, and insufficient incineration capacity must be taken into account at one time. A case study for the western Taipei County in Taiwan shows the application potential of such a methodology.