Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to address the need for sustainable development within
waste management. It explores how sustainability can be assessed and used as
the basis for high level decision making within waste management. Stellenbosch
University (SU) was used as a case study to demonstrate how information can be
gathered and used for decision support.
The literature reviewed, showed a wide area of focus within which sustainability
is defined and how businesses and organisations shift towards a model of corporate responsibility.
The concept of sustainability was then presented within waste management.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA),
were presented as management tools that could facilitate the assessment and decision
making process within a sustainable waste management framework.
The two management tools, Sustainable Life Cycle Analysis (SLCA) and Analytical
Hierarchal Process (AHP) (branches of LCA and MCDA respectively), were used to
develop a framework to be applied to SU Waste Management System. By integrating
the two tools, a framework was established that could measure the sustainability
of current waste management practices and provide a decision support tool. The
framework was validated by applying it to the Stellenbosch University waste system.
The framework that was developed delivered a set of sustainable results from
which decision makers could base policy decisions. The framework then facilitated
the decision making process and a sustainable waste management policy was selected. The application modelled the decision makers preferences and resulted in a policy
being selected which favoured high levels of recycling and waste prevention. The
results represented an approach which, when compared to the current practice, was
more expensive but more environmentally friendly and socially acceptable. The
findings provide an exciting basis for future research, where decisions are based on
sustainable principles. The framework has potential to be expanded into other areas
of management and is not limited to a university environment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die behoefte aan volhoubare ontwikkeling binne afvalbestuur
aan te spreek. Die tesis ondersoek hoe die volhoubaarheid in afvalbestuur
bepaal kan word, en hoe dit dan gebruik kan word as basis vir beleid besluitneming
binne afvalbestuur. Die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) is as ’n gevallestudie gebruik
om te demonstreer hoe inligting versamel kan word en as ondersteuning vir beleidbesluitneming
gebruik kan word.
Die literatuurstudie dek ’n wye veld waarbinne daar op volhoubaarheid gefokus
word. Dit wys ook hoe maatskappye en organisasies na ’n model van korporatiewe
verantwoordelikheid beweeg. Die konsep van volhoubaarheid word dan binne die mileu
van afvalbestuur aangebied. Die Lewenssiklus Assesering (LSA) en Multi-Kriteria
Besluitnemings Analise (MKBA) wat gebruik is, kan dien as bestuur hulpmiddel om
die assessering van, en besluitneming binne ’n volhoubare afvalbestuur te vergemaklik.
Vanuit die twee hulpmiddels, is Volhoubare Lewens Siklus Analise (VLSA) en
Analitiese Hierargiese Proses (AHP), gebruik om ’n raamwerk te ontwikkel wat toegepas
is op die US. Deur die twee hulpmiddels te integreer kan ’n raamwerk geskep
word wat die volhoubaarheid van die huidige afvalbestuur praktyke en wat kan dien
as ‘n ondersteunende hulpmiddel met die besluitnemingsprosesse. Die waardasie van
die raamwerk wat ontwikkel was, het ‘n stel volhoubare resultate opgelewer, wat
besluitnemers gebruik het om hul beleidsbesluite op te baseer. Die besluitnemers se voorkeure is gebaseer op die bevindinge van die VLSA en
het bepaal watter beleid gekies is. Die bevindinge het ’n duurder, maar meer omgewingsvriendelike
en sosiaal aanvaarbare beleid verteenwoordig. Hierdie bevindinge
bied ’n opwindende basis vir toekomstige navorsingwerk, waar besluitneming op volhoubare
beginsels gebaseer is. Die raamwerk het potensiaal vir uitbreiding na ander
gebiede van bestuur en is nie beperk tot ’n universiteitsomgewing nie.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/80319 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | De Beer, Thys |
| Contributors | Von Leipzig, Konrad H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xvii, 148 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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