Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) collection systems can contribute to a sustainable society by transforming waste to valuable resources. However, if not properly designed, the MSW collection systems can become a liability in terms of high cost, high emissions and reduced service. There is still a lack of knowledge on how MSW collection system designs trade off the elements in the triple bottom line. The purpose of this study is to contribute to such understanding. A service-mix framework is proposed, demonstrating trade-offs among the decision areas of bin types, vehicle types, pick-up frequency, delivery distance, co-collection, and sorting in MSW collection systems. The triple bottom line performance is evaluated on cost, service, and emission levels. Two MSW collection systems are analysed and compared, using an Excel-based spreadsheet model. The findings show a potential to improve sustainability in MSW collection systems by trading off service-mix components. Specifically, the findings show that if five households share bins (accept reduced convenience, and the data indicate that they do) the reduction potential is 46 % for cost and 27 % for the CO2 emissions. Similarly, reducing the pick-up frequency service reduces cost and CO2 emissions. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of fill rates shows that using dual chamber trucks gives a high risk of increased cost and CO2 emissions, due to the difficulty of matching waste volumes and chamber sizes. Thus, the paper demonstrates that significant reduction of cost and emission levels are possible without a significant sacrifice of service levels in MSW collection systems.
Bø, Eirill & Baxter, John (2025)
Sustainability of the Collection of Norwegian Household Waste
ackground: Despite concerted research efforts, the collection of domestic waste remains poorly understood in terms of financial and environmental cost drivers. Detailed studies of specific systems, yielding limited broader understanding, remain the norm. Methods: This study presents flexible and generally applicable models for domestic waste transport logistics, based on economic cost and environmental impact calculations. Results: The calculations reveal key sensitivities by highlighting the most important cost and environmental drivers and linking these to key factors relating to the deployment of staff and collection vehicles, behaviour of consumers, and others. Conclusions: This study demonstrates these elements in a Norwegian context, showing that the models can inform tactical and operational decision-making for the logistics of domestic waste collection, and inform policy development in the area.
Hovi, Inger Beate & Bø, Eirill (2024)
Unlocking the potential: How can parcel lockers drive efficiency and environmental friendliness in E-commerce?
This paper analyses the efficiency and carbon footprint of different last-mile delivery solutions, including parcel lockers, pick-up points, and home deliveries. A Decision Support Tool (DST) is developed, utilizing real data on parcel deliveries and time allocation. The DST distinguishes between fixed, variable, and salary costs, revealing that time spent on delivery tasks and associated salary costs are the primary cost drivers. Deliveries to pick-up points are more efficient than deliveries to parcel lockers, but this efficiency depends on the number of parcels delivered. The environmental footprint of the solutions is influenced by how recipients collect their parcels.
Bø, Eirill; Hovi, Inger Beate & Pinchasik, Daniel Ruben (2022)
COVID-19 disruptions and Norwegian food and pharmaceutical supply chains: Insights into supply chain risk management, resilience, and reliability
The purpose of this study is to investigate how the COVID-19 crisis affected delivery security and firms’ preparedness and responses in Norway. Investigations focus on supply chains which were critical for maintaining the supply of essential goods when large parts of society closed down. This includes four firms belonging to food and pharmaceutical industries, representing different parts of the respective supply chains, and covering imports, exports, domestic distribution, and home-delivery services. The originality of this article is that we employ theoretical models on supply chain risk management, resilience and reliability in conjunction, where these are usually used separately. Recognizing links, overlaps, and complementarity between the models, and using them step-by-step, we exploit synergies that enable more comprehensive assessments of strengths and weaknesses in firms’ supply chains, covering gaps, prioritizing between improvement areas, and collecting input towards detailed, actionable risk mitigation actions. Investigations build on semi-structured interviews, systematically covering the formative elements for each of the models. Using the models in conjunction, we compare the firms and identify differences, similarities, strengths, and weaknesses in the consequences of pandemic-related disruptions and how firms approached the challenges. The main challenges for the firms were sudden demand changes early in the pandemic. While the firms had minor differences, their pre-pandemic contingency plans were generally not actionable or detailed enough, nor prepared for the pandemic's longevity. Therefore, more detailed and long-term guidelines are desirable, noting the importance and interrelationships of elements of supply chain risk management, resilience, and reliability. A common feature for all firms, and crucial for handling disruptions, is the importance of good and long-term relationships with upstream and downstream supply chain partners and the need for improving contingency plans and future resilience.
Bø, Eirill & Mjøsund, Christian S. (2022)
Use of GPS-data to improve transport solutions in a cost and environmental perspective
In this paper we have utilised GPS data as a base to track truck movements and analyse transport activities. Combined with a Decision Support Tool we have investigated how different transport solutions affect the transport cost and CO2 emissions. The information gained from GPS-data helps firms such as a fruit and vegetables wholesaler to gain better insights into their transport solution and operations from a cost and environmental perspective. This also means that the current analysis remains useful for the transporting company in making strategic decisions as to when and where they should engage in other transport assignments to improve the load factors on their trucks. This paper presents that the picture the decision-makers had prior to GPS data being used was different from the real situation, and the insights gained lead to new knowledge and actions. As a result, this would contribute to greener and more cost-efficient solutions.
Pinchasik, Daniel Ruben; Hovi, Inger Beate, Bø, Eirill & Mjøsund, Christian S. (2021)
Can active follow-ups and carrots make eco-driving stick? Findings from a controlled experiment among truck drivers in Norway
This article presents results from a randomized controlled eco-driving experiment with differential treatment between two groups of truck drivers in Norway. Using data from in-vehicle devices, we investigate whether eco-driving interventions (a course, active monthly follow-ups, and non-monetary incentives) reduce fuel consumption by inducing more efficient driving behavior for drivers in a treatment group, compared to a control group. Hereby, we consider persistence of effects over time and the relative importance of eco-driving factors, while controlling for fixed vehicles, routes, drivers, and weather. We find significant fuel consumption reductions, persisting over a longer period of time than in most previous studies (where effects fade or disappear), that weather conditions are important, and evidence of an ‘eco-driving learning curve’. This might result from monthly follow-ups and driver rewards. Further, we find spill-over effects through significant fuel savings for drivers in the control group (undergoing no interventions). These are likely the result of them becoming aware that ‘something eco-driving related’ is going on. Our analysis suggests that improvements on engine and gear management contribute most to fuel savings. We estimate the potential for fuel savings to lie between 5.2 and 7.5% (lower bound, control group) and 9% (upper bound, treatment group). This implies a potential for significant cost savings and emission reductions, which might to some extent be scalable and transferable to other settings. As such, eco-driving may play one part in reducing emissions from road freight, for which much-needed emission reductions are challenging to achieve, especially in the shorter run.
Bø, Eirill (2020)
Transparency Issues Within a Transport Buyer and Provider Relationship
Dwivedi, Ashish & Alshamrani, Mohammed Saad (red.). Leadership Strategies for Global Supply Chain Management in Emerging Markets
Transport is an important function in the supply chain. This chapter focuses on how to buy a transport service, how to form a transport contract, and how a transparent relationship will influence the risk and the relationship between transport provider and buyer. By developing a decision support tool (DST-model) and calculating the cost and the time parameters, the right price and the cost drivers will appear. The cases described in this chapter are a large Norwegian wholesaler for food, distribution to the retailer, and two Norwegian municipalities collecting household waste. In these cases, the buyer and the provider are acting blind in setting the transport price. This means that there is a huge risk for either a bankruptcy by the transport provider or an overpriced transport for the buyer.
Bø, Eirill & Baxter, John (2020)
Transparency as a Driver for Logistical Efficiency in WEEE Collection and Transport
OR.38.22 Sluttrapport for forskningsprosjektet Innovativ Avfallslogistikk
[Report]. Norsus.
Bø, Eirill & Hovi, Inger Beate (2022)
How can parcel lockers contribute to more efficient and environmentally friendly E-commerce?
[Academic lecture]. NOFOMA 2022.
The demand for e-commerce and home deliveries of parcels has grown significantly during the pandemic and is expected to stay at a high level post-pandemic. As working-from-home is decreasing again, new solutions for flexible delivery solutions are needed. This paper analyzes various solutions for last-mile deliveries, comparing pick-up points, parcel lockers and attended and unattended home deliveries. Based on real shipment data from a logistics service provider in Norway, as well as cost and time data on different activities in last-mile distribution, a Decision Support Tool (DST) is developed to analyze transport costs and corresponding environmental footprints from the distribution center and to the customer. From a cost perspective, we find that deliveries to pick-up points are more efficient than deliveries to parcel lockers, but results are sensitive to the number of parcels delivered per trip and per location. The solutions’ environmental footprints, in turn, depend on how receivers collect their parcels. If parcel collection triggers new trips by exhaust car, home deliveries may yield the smallest environmental footprint, but this depends on the collection distance to parcel lockers and pick-up points.
Hovi, Inger Beate; Mjøsund, Christian S., Bø, Eirill, Pinchasik, Daniel Ruben & Grønland, Stein Erik (2021)
Logistikk, miljø og kostnader
[Report]. Transportøkonomisk institutt.
LIMCO-prosjektets formål har vært å generere ny kunnskap og innovasjoner som kan bidra til smartere logistikkstyring og transport¬planlegging, mer bærekraftige forretningsmodeller for norske transport- og logistikkbedrifter og økt kunnskap om hvordan nye typer data kan utnyttes effektivt. Gjennom to data¬fangstløsninger for kjøretøydata og et utstrakt samarbeid med en rekke deltakerbedrifter er det gjort mange innsiktsfulle analyser rundt fire hovedtemaer: Kjøreadferd, drivstofforbruk og miljø, kjøretøybevegelser og transportkostnader. Gjennom prosjektet er det gjort metodiske framsteg for å foredle GPS-posisjoner til informasjon om turer og stopp for lasting og los¬sing. Det er utført bedriftsspesifikke analyser av bl.a. kostnads- og miljøeffekter av alternative logistikkopplegg og servicegrad og oppnådd økt innsikt i kostnadsdrivere. Det er også gjort analyser av potensialet for utslippsreduksjon gjennom forbedret kjøreadferd («økokjøring»). Innsikt fra prosjektet gir grunnlag for nye logistikk¬¬løsninger og forbedret innsikt i godstransportens komplekse behov og aktiviteter i byområder. Det er videre generert viktig forbedret input til Nasjonal Godstransportmodell.
Nygaard, Arne; Gripsrud, Geir & Bø, Eirill (2018)
Ledelse av Forsyningskjeder
[Textbook]. Fagbokforlaget.
Bø, Eirill; Grønland, Stein Erik & Jahre, Marianne (2018)
