A reverse logistics network design model for sustainable treatment of multi-sourced Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Sustainable development in terms of both economy and environment has become as one of the most critical driving forces in shaping and reforming the management system of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The achievement of the balance between economic and environmental performances requires comprehensive analysis and appropriate design of reverse logistics network of WEEE management system. This paper presents a network design model for treating multi-sourced WEEE in a sustainable manner. Economic efficiency and environmental influence in terms of greenhouse gas emission associated with the transportation of WEEE are defined as two main criteria to determine the network configuration. A conceptual model and a mathematical model are designed to illustrate the systematic formation of the reverse logistics network of WEEE, and the computational programming is then developed in Lingo 11.0. Finally, a hypothetical example is presented in order to enable the understanding of the model in practice.