Modeling the Waste Disposal System of Isfahan City Using System Dynamics Approach

Isfahan is one of the Iranian metropolises, although it has long been regarded as the pioneer city of waste management in the country, it still processes and disposes Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) using a landfill-based disposal system. Therefore, the Isfahan Waste Management Organization, by developing a program titled "Isfahan 1400 a city without Waste Landfilling", is attempting to gradually transform the current system into a modern system based on the production of energy and valuable materials from the wastes. This study is aimed at simulating the Isfahan’s waste disposal system using System Dynamics (SD) approach to determine the best way of eliminating urban wastes considering the financial and environmental perspectives. Key variables of this model are MSW generation rate, the total emissions of greenhouse gases, and the total profits, plus management strategies such as recycling, composting and landfilling. After simulating and validating the model, various solutions, such as “anaerobic digestion facility establishment", “reformation of waste processing lines”, and "RDF production line installment" are tested in the system and the best option is introduced. The simulation results indicate that implementation of each policy improves at least one of financial and environmental situations. Among them sequential implementation of "anaerobic digestion facility establishment" and "RDF production line installment" is designated as the best case.