Optimization of Arizona State University’s Waste & Recycling Collection Route for Tempe Campus

Through the Engineering Projects In Community Service program, community partner ASU Zero Waste wanted to optimize the ASU waste and recycling collection route to reduce the labor hours dedicated to this daily task. A route optimization was performed to determine the minimum distance paths that ASU Grounds Services crews can take to increase their route efficiency. A generalizable Multiple Traveling Salesperson model was developed and applied to the campus problem and the solution found using an Integer Linear Programming approach. The results of the path solutions and mathematical model are described with the inclusion of a Github project repository.