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1. Introduction
The definition of municipal solid waste (MSW) is open to administrative interpretation which may vary widely between countries, agencies and even local jurisdictions, however, the MSW that is mentioned in this study refers to the solid waste generated at residences, commercial establishments (i.e. offices, retail shops, restaurants), and institutions (i.e. hospitals and schools) but does not include construction/demolition debris, automobile scrap or medical/ pathological waste (Chandler et al. , 1997). Provided that it is properly managed, MSW may become a sustainable and renewable resource that has the potential to replace a wide diversity of fossil based products such as heat, power, fuels, materials and chemicals (Demirbas, 2005). Sustainable thinking leads us to consider waste as "wasted energy" which has been discarded instead of being properly used. Sustainable solid waste management (SWM) can be described as managing waste today without compromising the prospects of future generations by maximizing the recovery of resources from the waste stream. Sustainability should be the fundamental component in contemporary MSWM decision making.
Several models and methods have been developed to deal with decision making in MSWM, however, currently there are only few comprehensive frameworks that aid decision makers in setting priorities on a system-wide, multi-criteria basis. Shortcomings are widely observed worldwide due to the problems faced by the planners, authorities and regulators involved in the MSWM decision making.
The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive but rather simple model that calculates a sustainability index for the evaluation of MSWM practices by combining several sustainability aspects using analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The life cycle environmental aspects of MSWM, along with technical, social, economic aspects are integrated with exergy analysis to compute a MSWMSI that can aid the decision makers when selecting the most sustainable MSWM approach.
2. MSWM selection methods
The availability of a wide range of processes and technologies for MSWM, along with the possibilities of combining them, has allowed a number of different potential solutions for MSW treatment (Magrinho et al. , 2006). Sustainability concept has to be included in order not to compromise the benefits of the future generations with the present consumption habits before damaging the planet in an irreparable and irreversible way. Social, environmental and economic compatibilities are the main parameters...