This study illustrates the application of Premium Solver Platform software to optimise tours for the collection of municipal solid waste. Data required for optimisation was obtained from the municipal solid waste management authority, field studies and digitised map of a study area. Thereafter the optimisation problem was formulated as a travelling salesman problem (TSP) on Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The solver engine of the software generated optimal result for the TSP in less than 1 minute for each computer run and the output in eight out of ten routes showed reduction in the tour distance by 0.98 to 14.61%. This reduction could in turn decrease time, costs and emissions associated with collection operation. The method proposed in this study can also generate accurate decisions within a short period for large routing problems especially in mega cities.
Keywords: collection, tour optimisation, Premium Solver Platform, solid waste