Analysis of barriers in e-waste management in developing economy: An integrated MCDM approach

Abstract An increasing quantity of electronic waste (e-waste) is not a new cause of concern, and it has been causing trouble throughout the world. This waste comprises of valuable metals along with harmful compounds that leads to harmful environmental consequences. Managing this kind of waste in developing economies is difficult due to presence of lot of hindrance in the process. Therefore, the goal of this research work is to determine the barriers while taking expert opinions and through available literature, and subsequently prioritize them to address the challenges in e-waste management. Moreover, this study reflects a hybrid Fuzzy DEcision-MAking Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (F-DEMATEL) and Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling (F-ISM) approaches applied for determining the interrelationship between the barriers. The F-DEMATEL technique facilitates in identifying influential and influenced barriers and categorizes them into causal or effect groups. Performance data obtained from this combined approach is applied to determine an overall rank for 15 identified barriers. In addition, a fuzzy Matrice d'impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée an un Classeement (F-MICMAC) analysis is exercised to sort them into dependent or driving factor. The findings suggest that the underlying cause barriers include ‘lack of customer awareness about return’, ‘less policies addressing e-waste problem’, ‘lack of long-term planning’, and ‘insensitiveness of public towards environmental issues. The methodology is integrated with fuzzy logic to take uncertainty in the data gathered into consideration. This approach aids policymakers and decision-makers in determining the barriers' mutual relationships and interconnections.