Multi-Level Stratification of Territories for Waste Composition Analysis

abstract

en

Many articles deal with methods for estimating the composition of municipal waste, however, most details are given as to how many categories should be chosen and what technical procedure should be followed. In order to obtain a broader view and a reasonable evaluation of the results, it is necessary to effectively choose the areas where the analyses will be performed. Current approaches have insufficiently addressed this issue at the regional and national levels. This paper presents a method that uses multi-level stratification to divide municipalities into similar groups to reduce the number of observations needed to obtain an estimate of the composition of waste in a selected area (region or state level). The method combines expert knowledge with statistical considerations and makes use of cluster analysis. Socio-economic and waste-related parameters are used within the individual steps. Regarding the available financial resources and the required accuracy of the results, the municipalities in which the analyses should take place are selected. These representative municipalities represent other municipalities in the created groups and thanks to them it is possible to estimate the composition of waste in any municipality, region, or larger territory. The presented method is shown in more detail in the municipalities of the Czech Republic with the possibility to investigate a total of 10 municipalities, but any number can be set respecting the financial resources. The method is described in general and can be applied to any territory in the world, considering local conditions and possibilities.

Many articles deal with methods for estimating the composition of municipal waste, however, most details are given as to how many categories should be chosen and what technical procedure should be followed. In order to obtain a broader view and a reasonable evaluation of the results, it is necessary to effectively choose the areas where the analyses will be performed. Current approaches have insufficiently addressed this issue at the regional and national levels. This paper presents a method that uses multi-level stratification to divide municipalities into similar groups to reduce the number of observations needed to obtain an estimate of the composition of waste in a selected area (region or state level). The method combines expert knowledge with statistical considerations and makes use of cluster analysis. Socio-economic and waste-related parameters are used within the individual steps. Regarding the available financial resources and the required accuracy of the results, the municipalities in which the analyses should take place are selected. These representative municipalities represent other municipalities in the created groups and thanks to them it is possible to estimate the composition of waste in any municipality, region, or larger territory. The presented method is shown in more detail in the municipalities of the Czech Republic with the possibility to investigate a total of 10 municipalities, but any number can be set respecting the financial resources. The method is described in general and can be applied to any territory in the world, considering local conditions and possibilities.

multi-level stratification; clustering; waste composition analysis; mixed municipal waste; stratification of population

10.10.2021

1847-7178

158–158

1