A hybrid waste-flow allocation model considering multiple stage and interval–fuzzy chance constraints

An inexact two-stage fuzzy chance-constrained programming (ITSFCCP) model was developed in this study for dealing with multiple uncertainties associated with solid waste management systems. The model was formulated by incorporating fuzzy chance-constrained programming and interval linear programming within a two-stage stochastic programming framework. The model could be used to facilitate analysis of the policy scenarios; meanwhile, the uncertainties associated with solid waste management systems could be expressed as probability distributions, possibility distribution and discrete intervals. A long-term waste planning problem was used to demonstrate the applicability of the ITSFCCP model. The study results indicated that ITSFCCP could provide a linkage to pre-defined policies and allowed violation of system constraints at predefined confidence levels. Moreover, it allowed uncertain information presented as discrete intervals to be communicated into the optimisation process. ITSFCCP could help waste managers to identify desired policies and gain insights into the tradeoffs between system economy and reliability.