Variables Influencing per Capita Production, Separate Collection, and Costs of Municipal Solid Waste in the Apulia Region (Italy): An Experience of Deep Learning

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) must be managed to reduce its impact on environmental matrices and population health as much as possible. In particular, the variables that influence the production, separate waste collection, and costs of MSW must be understood. Although many studies have shown that such factors are specific to an area, the awareness of these factors has created opportunities to implement operations to enable more effective and efficient MSW management services, and to specifically respond to the variables that have the most impact. The deep learning approaches used in this study are effective in achieving this goal and can be used in any other territorial context to ensure that the organizations that deal with these issues are more aware and create useful plans to promote the circular economy. Our findings indicate the important influence of number of rooms in a residential buildings and construction years on MSW production, the combination of services such as municipal collection centers and door-to-door service for separate MSW collection and the characteristics of the residential buildings in the municipalities on MSW management costs.