Municipal solid waste unit production rates and estimation of the required number of waste storage containers in the municipality of Athens

The Municipality of Athens (M.A.) currently comprises 7 municipal districts, 7 waste collection
districts (WCD) and approximately 5800 residential blocks. Solid waste is collected daily on a
7 days per week basis. The M.A. comprises approximately 119 waste collection sub-districts
(herein referred to as ‘collection programs’ or simply ‘programs’). Each ‘program’ consists of a
number of adjacent residential blocks, whilst certain special programs include only central
streets in Athens (e.g. Aharnon, Patision) or the commercial center of Athens. During the past
years, each waste collection vehicle has been making 2 daily trips to the final disposal site in
the Attica region, in Liosia. The above scheme is the basis on which daily collection of
municipal solid waste (MSW) in the M.A. takes place. The actual residents at each residential
block in Athens were based on the 2001 census. The coding of the National Statistical
Agency was initially used and adjusted to the residential blocks’ coding used by the M.A. The
residential blocks included in each collection program were precisely identified. Average unit
waste production rates (UPRs) were estimated for each collection program using:
• vehicle net weights data for February and July 2002 at the central Liosia landfill
• actual population for each residential block in Athens (2001 census) and
• number of residential blocks at each collection program
The number of waste storage containers (WSC) at each residential block was estimated by
accounting for a 1,1 m3 container volume, a 80% fill ratio and a 95 kg m-3 uncompacted waste
density. As a result of the above, UPRs and the required number of WSC were estimated for
each residential block, each collection program, each WCD and for the M.A. as a whole.
Sunday has the smallest production of MSW during a week, whilst Tuesday is the day with
the largest amount of MSW produced within a week. The average production rate for the M.A.
was estimated to be 3,8 kg cap-1 d-1, ranging from 1,3 kg cap-1 d-1 (for district 6) to 8,9 kg cap-1 d-1
(for district 1). The relatively large UPR recorded for district 1 is attributed to the increased
number of commercial stores (center of Athens) and due to the relatively small recorded
actual population, since few apartment buildings exist in the center of Athens. The total
number of waste storage containers required in the M.A. is approximately 16660, whilst the
existing number is approximately 14580.