Prioritization of Waste Separation Options from Source Using TOPSIS Method

Modern societies are faced with the growth of urbanization which cause a lot of problems to the environment. One of the leading problems, especially in urban communities, is increasing waste that has elevated the importance of waste management in these societies. From the perspective of urban planners and researchers, waste separation at source has received more attention in comparison to other solutions, so that a variety of options and solutions for waste separation at source have been presented in articles, reports and studies. Some of these strategies have failed in practice, and some are still running despite low return. In this regard, the aim of the this study is to prioritize options for waste separation at source with regard to existing solutions offered in the relevant researches. The Shahid Rajaei residential town of Tehran, comprised the statistical population of this study. Based on Krejcie and Morgan table, the sample size was determined at 278 households, sampling was carried out randomly and data was collected through questionnaire. The options were prioritized based on proximity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS). According to the results, priorities were distinguished and introduced for better urban planning by the managers. The prioritization shows that in the area under study, methods that prodivde more material benefits to the citizens are of higher priority.