A Multi-objective Optimization Method for Hazardous Waste Reverse Logistics Network Management

As the growth in hazardous waste (HW) is threatening the environment and public health, more attention has been paid to this area and finding an efficient management method to reduce the risk of HW is of vital importance. Therefore, this paper tries to investigate HW reverse logistics network building which used to manage the treatment as well as disposal of HW. Starting from treatment method of HW treatment, an innovative melting method has been put together with the incineration of HW. In addition, the risk of different treating method has also been considered. A multi-objective optimization model is developed to optimize this reverse logistics network management problem. It considers the cost and the risk objectives, using a fuzzy membership function method to get the final optimal value as it is a normal used method to convert multiple objectives into single objective. A case analysis has been taken based on the data from Chengdu to demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of the optimization method.