The purpose of our MA dissertation is to demonstrate how evidence-based research can help companies
and not-for-profit organizations to engage in Waste Management (WM) and Reverse Logistics (RL)
effectively and efficiently. Our focus is in identifying the most suitable routing and location models for endof-
life products and waste.
To achieve this, we draw on both primary sources and secondary sources. In particular, we review the latest
studies in the international literature that apply routing and location models on real-life case studies from
all over the world. We then use these insights to recommend an appropriate WM and RL strategy to three
Greek organizations.
The dissertation is divided in two parts. In the first we present and analyze 20 recent studies, 10 on routing
and 10 on location models. In each case we present in detail the problem, the data, the objectives, the
constraints and the mathematical model with its variables. In the second part we investigate three different
Greek organizations engaged in RL and WM. Based on document analysis and in-depth interviews with the
organizations’ representatives, we argue that all of them operate on the basis of ‘practical experience’
instead of formal models, a practice which often leads to sub-optimal results. The dissertation concludes by
proposing the most suitable model, for a given set of objectives, for each of the organizations in our Greek
case studies.
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