Spatial analysis of the recyclable municipal solid waste collection

This study examines the spatial variation in the amounts of dry Recyclable MSW (RMSW) collected at the local authority level of geography in Greece. The full dataset of the HERRCO for the year 2009 was explored and the data for those local authorities that participated in the recycling program for the full calendar year were used. In order to investigate its spatial structure and to examine the existence of spatial autocorrelation Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) methodology was applied to the above dataset. The overall and local Moran’s I was calculated for the per capita collected dry recyclable materials in the MSW. The results show that the amounts of dry recyclable materials in municipal solid waste exhibit a relatively strong spatial autocorrelation. The results and conclusions of this analysis could help in informed decision making in relation to the operational and strategic planning of the MSW management by the HERRCO and by the national and local government.