Management and economic planning of waste collection and transportation using WAGS Software: A case study of the Ports and Maritime Department of Guilan Province, Northwest Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Iran

10.22124/cjes.2026.9412

Abstract

 
Effective waste management is a crucial component of sustainable development due to its significant role in environmental preservation. Given that a substantial portion of waste management expenditures is allocated to collection and transportation, strategic planning and efficient management can significantly enhance system performance and reduce unnecessary costs and time delays. This study evaluates the application of the WAGS software—a managerial-economic tool comprising 40 primary variables and 16 default parameters—for the optimization of waste collection and transportation systems over a 15-year period. The case study focuses on the Ports and Maritime Department of Guilan Province, Northwest Iran which covers an area of 142 hectares and serves a population of 6,700. Waste sampling was conducted three times per month throughout 2017 at various collection points across the port. Each sample was weighed, separated into categories (organic, plastic, metal, paper, etc.), and analyzed for moisture content and density. The software facilitated the assessment of key resource requirements including supplies, equipment maintenance, personnel, and fuel. Findings indicate that in 2017, the total cost of waste collection and transportation was approximately 5,850 million Rials. Projected costs for the next 15 years amount to 11.162 billion Rials, with machinery procurement accounting for the highest share. Capital distribution was as follows: machinery (49%), manpower (28%), fuel (14%), and maintenance (9%). The study proposes an optimized model for organizing and managing waste systems in port environments.

Keywords

References

Abdoli, MA & Hasanian, H 2013, Feasibility study of using RDF as an alternative fuel (Case study: Fars Cement Factory, Iran). 1st International Conference on Cement Industry. Energy and Environment (CIEE), pp. 11-13.
Abdoli, MA, Falahnezhad, M & Behboudian, S 2011, Multivariate econometric approach for solid waste generation modeling: impact of climate factors. Environmental Engineering Science, 28(9): 627-633.
Abdoli, MA, Samieifard, R & Jalili Ghazi Zade, M 2008, Rural solid waste management. Environmental Research Journal, 2(4): 425-431.
Andik, B, Kamali, A, Sadat Ghohestani, H & Karbasi, A 2017, Economic evaluation and planning of waste collection and transportation system in Ardabil and Dehdasht cities, NW Iran. Environmental Researches, 7(14): 33-44.
Bakhshi, S, Tavakoli, B, Feizbakhsh Zebardast, E, Aalipour, M 2025, Identification, classification, and management of ports hazardous waste (A case study: Anzali Port, Northwest Iran). Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 23: 721-729.
Butt, N 2007, The impact of cruise ship generated waste on home ports and ports of call: A study of Southampton. Marine Policy, 31(5): 591-598.
Chalkias, C & Lasaridi, K 2009, A GIS based model for the optimisation of municipal solid waste collection: The case study of Nikea, Athens, Greece. Technology, 1: 11-15.
De Vega, CA, Benítez, SO & Barreto, MER 2008, Solid waste characterization and recycling potential for a university campus. Waste Management, 28: S21-S26.
Hekmatnia, N, Karbassi, A, Hatef, E, Hatef, I 2016, Investigating environmental management of municipal waste transport in Yazd City using WAGS software. Environmental Science and Technology, 17(4): 251-266
Jin, J, Wang, Z & Ran, S 2006, Solid waste management in Macao: practices and challenges. Waste Management, 26(9): 1045-1051.
Majlessi, M, Zamani, AA, Mahdipoor, F, Shamsaee, V, SharifiMaleksari, H, Darvar, P 2013, Solid waste collection and transportation cost analysis of region 1 of Bandar-Abbas City. Health in the Field, 1(1): 37-40.
 Mokhtarani, N, Alavi Moghadam, MR, Mokhtarani, B, Rezaei, R & Naserian, S 2006, Industrial solid waste management in Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex. Journal of Environmental Sciences and Technology, 9(1): 47-54.
Nahman, A & Godfrey, L 2010, Economic instruments for solid waste management in South Africa: Opportunities and constraints. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54(8): 521-531.
Sadeghi, M, Omrani, GHA, Javid, AM, Rahmani, B, Hashemi, H & Mahmoudi Nejad, V 2009, Investigating the quality and quantity of the Industrial solid waste (Case study: Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran). Journal of Health System Research, 6(1): 837-847.
Tchobanoglous, G, Theisen, H, Vigil, SA & Alaniz, VM 1993, Integrated solid waste management: Engineering principles and management issues (Vol. 4). New York: McGraw-Hill.
UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, 2005, Marine litter: An analytical overview. UNEP.
Xiumin F, Minghua Zhu, Xi Z, Qichang H, & Rovetta A 2010, Logistics systems and intelligent management. solid waste in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Environmental monitoring Assess.
Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 04 February 2026

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics