Logistics service triad for household waste: consumers as co-producers of sustainability
Journal article, 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the sustainability of waste supply chains regarding the energy efficiency of first-mile waste collection systems and quality of waste. Roles of actors in the waste service triad are considered, particularly focusing on households. Design/methodology/approach: Primary data are collected from respondents including municipality officers, waste service providers (WSPs) and households through brainstorming sessions, semi-structured interviews, site visits and a focus group. Secondary data are collected from official reports for validation. Findings: Findings reveal tension between the energy efficiency of waste collection logistics and the quality of waste collected. Households are co-producers of logistic services providing important inputs in the form of sorting and moving waste and raw materials into new cycles of goods circulating in logistics systems. Other actors in the logistics service triad are the municipality as regulator and the WSP acting as a reverse-logistics service provider. Practical implications: This study provides principles for policymakers and practitioners to evaluate the energy efficiency of waste management options, considering the quality of waste. Also, “logistics services” and “quality of waste” as concepts might provoke new thoughts on how to involve the consumer in resource recovery. Originality/value: Few studies have focused on the end-consumer’s role in waste supply chains. By considering waste as a resource and the consumer as the supplier of this input, this study provides a new way to think about logistics services for waste collection.

Sustainable logistics

Energy efficiency

Logistics services

Household waste

Value co-creation

Quality of waste

First mile

Author

Arni Halldorsson

Hanken School of Economics

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Ceren Altuntas Vural

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Jessica Wehner

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management

0960-0035 (ISSN)

Vol. 49 4 398-415

ELIN: Energy efficiency of logistics services -- inside-out

Swedish Energy Agency (P43314-2), 2016-12-06 -- 2019-12-31.

Subject Categories

Other Mechanical Engineering

Other Environmental Engineering

Environmental Management

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Areas of Advance

Transport

DOI

10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2019-0065

More information

Latest update

12/23/2019