Selection of Hazardous Waste Disposal Alternative Using Multi-Attribute Utility Theory and Fuzzy Set Analysis

We examine the problem of choosing a hazardous waste disposal alternative, where there are multiple attributes associated with each site, and the decision maker has imprecise information regarding the impact of the waste on each site, and his preference ordering for each attribute. We show how developments in multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) and fuzzy set analysis can be used to address the problem. We apply the methodologies to a case study concerning the disposal of PCB contaminated transformer fluids at one of three sites, and conclude that MAUT is superior to fuzzy set analysis in cases where there is imprecision in either value scores or preference weights, but not both.

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