Transport impacts of household waste recycling centres

Abstract

Household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) evolved from civic amenity sites (CAS) introduced by the Civic Amenities Act 1967, and provide householders with an outlet for the disposal of a wide range of materials. Sites are now handling significant volumes of recyclables (66% of total household recyclables), and the transport impacts associated with increasing visitor numbers to HWRCs are of interest to traffic managers and land use planners. The transport logistics associated with servicing sites, including the collection, treatment and disposal of different materials, is complex. The reduction in landfill disposal coupled to more stringent requirements for material recycling and treatment has resulted in short journeys from HWRCs to landfill being replaced by complex road trips to different facilities at various locations. The operational, environmental and social impacts associated with these potential increases in commercial transport activities can be quantified through modelling current and projected fleet operations under various future scenarios. This can be achieved through routing and scheduling applications, which can be used to optimise transportation fleets and identify the optimal locations for waste treatment facilities. This paper provides an overview of the literature, identifying the transport arisings associated with the movement of waste to HWRCs by site users, and from HWRCs to treatment or disposal facilities by service operators. It also discusses the potential impacts on waste transportation from current and impending legislation, and the use of routing and scheduling applications to maximise commercial service vehicle operating efficiency.