Optimization of Temporary Debris Management Site Selection and Site Service Regions for Enhancing Postdisaster Debris Removal Operations

Abstract Temporary debris management sites (TDMSs) are often established after large‐scale natural disaster to expedite waste removal. However, uses of these sites inevitably increase debris removal cost due to double handling of waste. How to select the quantity of TDMSs to optimize the trade‐off between the recycling benefits and debris removal cost is a critical issue in debris management. Previous studies focused primarily on initial geographical analyses of TDMSs or the debris removal optimization given known TDMS locations and quantities. This article proposes a multiobjective mixed integer linear optimization method to optimize debris removal with a particular focus on TDMS selection and to pursue the minimum debris removal cost, total processing time, and environmental influence. A case study with four scenarios was conducted to test the validity of the proposed approach. Numerical results indicate that a maximum reduction of 33.27% in removal time, a maximum reduction of 37.07% in cost, and a maximum increase of 33.60% in recycle profits can be achieved when the time, cost, and recycle profit objective are solely pursued compared to other studied scenarios, respectively. The findings of this study contribute to better decision making in debris removal operations after major natural disasters.