Establishing Recycling Bins Location and Allocation for Sustainable Urban Municipalities of Johor Bahru in Malaysia

Abstract

Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills besides being one of the most crucial components of the circular economy system. This good practice is carried out through reverse and forward logistic systems and is in line with two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 11 (make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production). Since the 1970s, Malaysia's government has been committed to strengthening recycling systems, but public support has been lacking. In fact, most recyclable waste is sent to the landfill. A high degree of participation in recycling practices by the highest municipal waste generators, i.e., the household level, is critical. Encouraging waste separation at the household level, as well as providing appropriate locations for recycling facilities (such as drop-off recycling bins), could attract public participation in recycling programmes, resulting in higher recycling rates, and lowering waste sent to landfills. For this reason, this study determines the location and allocation of recycling bins within the selected household areas of Johor Bahru, an urban municipality in Malaysia, by using a mathematical model. The model was found to be capable of determining the optimal location-allocation for recycling bins to cover the study area.