Systems Analysis for the Future of Solid Waste Management: Challenges and Perspectives
Solid waste management (SWM) systems involve complex and multifaceted trade offs among a plethora of technological alternatives, economic instruments, and regulatory frameworks. This chapter provides a holistic review of the development of systems engineering models and system assessment tools in relation to advances in systems engineering technologies pertaining to solid waste management (SWM) Following a retrospective review of main trends, the challenges for and perspectives of systems analysis in SWM are discussed in sequence. The streamlined goal of the chapter is to deepen insights into the role of environmental informatics for integrated solid waste management (ISWM) and thereby improve decision making reliability. The systemic structures of ISWM involving environmental informatics technologies for data acquisition, communication, storage, deep processing, and utilization patterns can be further elaborated as advancements in systems engineering models and system assessment tools move at an unprecedented pace.