A Multi-criteria reverse logistics network design for waste electrical and electronic equipments

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1817039 (Table of Contents)

The quantity of electrical and electronic equipments (EEEs) introduced in the market has been growing fast since EEEs have become an indispensable part of our daily life. The performances of the products are steadily increasing while their prices are decreasing. Moreover, the decreasing lifespan of EEEs and expanding range of the products directly affect the size of the EEE market. One consequence of this expansion is waste EEEs (WEEEs) occurring after the end of use or end of lifespan. WEEE contain various hazardous substances which may cause severe damage to the environment and various health related problems. Therefore, developing proper waste management strategies and operations is crucial. Many countries have implemented environmental legislations for WEEE management. In these regulations, the responsibilities of stakeholders, such as EEE producers, logistics service providers and municipalities, are specified clearly. Similarly, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in Turkey started implementing WEEE Directive in May 2012. Even though responsibilities of related authorities are stated in this directive, scrap dealers still collect and treat WEEEs illegally. These scrap dealers are not equipped with necessary tools and conditions for the suitable treatment of WEEEs, which creates risk for their own health and inefficiency in the system. For this reason, they might be included in WEEE management system by being supported by the government. This study proposes multi objective mixed integer linear programming model for handling of the WEEEs, based on the requirements set by Turkish WEEE Directive. In this study, the proposed model is designed for multi-echelon, multi-product, multi-period reverse logistics network and is solved by IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Software 12.6. The proposed model is validated by using the amount of WEEE to be collected in Istanbul, considering WEEE collection target per capita specified in the directive. The model has three objective functions reflecting the three pillars of sustainability. The first objective of this model is to maximize the profit of the overall WEEE management system when illegal scrap dealers are included. The second objective is to minimize the environmental impact while designing network. Third objective is to increase employment by incorporating illegal scrap dealers into WEEE management stream. Results of the study suggest opening WEEE treatment facilities in specified locations and subsidizing the scrap dealer junkyards which will be incorporated into WEEE management system. This study proves the importance of efficient WEEE management and provides a managerial insight for governmental authorities and professionals.