Optimization of recyclable waste collection using real-time information

This paper addresses the recyclable waste collection problem in urban areas. The work focuses on the recyclable glass bins collection, but with the peculiarity that these are provided with a device that sends fill level data daily to the control center. With this additional real time information we propose a collection policy that minimizes the length of the routes of vehicles on two levels, one daily and other for a larger planning horizon. This proposed policy is compared to the one used in the current literature and only optimizes the daily routes. Several simulations of the two policies are performed on a model of the city of Seville. Results show the proposed policy achieves better results in terms of meeting demand and better utilization of resources.