E-waste collection is a case of reverse logistics in a circular economy approach where e-waste is recycled, refurbished, or properly disposed of. In some cases, the recycling process is driven by companies that request specific types and amounts of e-waste to be collected and included back in their manufacturing cycle. The collection process should be optimized to properly match demand and offer at the minimum cost. We study a realistic collection scenario where a recycling hub demands a certain amount of e-waste items of different types to be collected among a set of stations whose inventory availability is unknown. This scenario represents a benchmark for what we can obtain when more information is available. We propose a routing algorithm that assigns the requested items to vehicles and plans their routes with the goal of maximizing the hub’s demand fulfilment while minimizing operating costs, all within the constraints of vehicle capacity. Through a simulation conducted on the pilot case in the city of Rome, we show that the demand satisfaction level can exceed 75% in more than 75% of the simulation instances, and fuel costs represent the dominant component.

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E-Waste Collection Under Recycling Hub Demand and Partial Information: The Benchmark Solution in a Pilot Case

  • Alessia Ciccarelli,
  • Marta Flamini,
  • Maurizio Naldi,
  • Elpidio Romano

摘要

E-waste collection is a case of reverse logistics in a circular economy approach where e-waste is recycled, refurbished, or properly disposed of. In some cases, the recycling process is driven by companies that request specific types and amounts of e-waste to be collected and included back in their manufacturing cycle. The collection process should be optimized to properly match demand and offer at the minimum cost. We study a realistic collection scenario where a recycling hub demands a certain amount of e-waste items of different types to be collected among a set of stations whose inventory availability is unknown. This scenario represents a benchmark for what we can obtain when more information is available. We propose a routing algorithm that assigns the requested items to vehicles and plans their routes with the goal of maximizing the hub’s demand fulfilment while minimizing operating costs, all within the constraints of vehicle capacity. Through a simulation conducted on the pilot case in the city of Rome, we show that the demand satisfaction level can exceed 75% in more than 75% of the simulation instances, and fuel costs represent the dominant component.