An optimized clustering method for the vehicle routing problem with time windows to improve Moroccan waste management

An optimized clustering method for the vehicle routing problem with time windows to improve Moroccan waste management | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article An optimized clustering method for the vehicle routing problem with time windows to improve Moroccan waste management Ilias Chakour, Otman Abdoun This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6548569/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Inefficient waste collection and transportation in Morocco have led to growing operational and environmental concerns, highlighting the importance of optimizing their routing to mitigate resources and carbon emissions. In this study, the waste collection process is modeled as a Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW), where multiple vehicles are responsible for collecting waste from distributed bins and delivering it to a central recycling facility, all while adhering to time window and vehicle capacity constraints. To address this problem, we developed a two-phase algorithm named Clustered Modified Large Neighborhood Search (CMLNS). It starts with the clustering phase, where the k-means algorithm is employed to partition the problem into clusters, each represented as a Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Next, we individually route each cluster using diverse insertion strategies. To further improve the solution, we propose a Modified Large Neighborhood Search (MLNS), which partially destroys the solution and strategically reconstructs it using diverse insertion operators in each iteration. We conducted numerical experiments using the classic Solomon benchmark instances to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Our results indicate that the CMLNS algorithm outperforms several state-of-the-art algorithms, and it achieved new best-known solutions in two instances. These improvements demonstrate the algorithm’s effectiveness in reducing transportation costs and improving logistical efficiency in Moroccan waste management systems. Moroccan Logistics Vehicle Routing Problem Time window Optimization large neighborhood search Waste management Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 28 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 29 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6548569","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":466252486,"identity":"3a057f40-a88e-4aed-b08a-0fb5d70417fd","order_by":0,"name":"Ilias Chakour","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABDklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNnbGBhCdwMADoiqI0cKMouUMgwRhPcwQCqKFsY0ILXzMzI0ffzDY5fH3HD4mXTnPps7gAI/hhw8MdvIMYocf4HBYszQPQ3KxxNm2NMmz29IkgFqMJWcwJBs2SKcZ4PKLNAPDgcSG8zxmko3bDoO0GAANYU5gkE7ApaX55w+glvlgLXP+g235/YehHqgl/QMOLW0SPEAtG872ALU0HABpMQPaexioJQeXLW3WPAbJiRvPHEu2bDiWLDnzMFuZZY/BccM26ZwCbFrk29sf3/xRYZc470zywZsNNXb8fMebN9/4UVEtzy+dvgGbFghAcQAzVIQNt/pRMApGwSgYBQQAAFfOU+I1RTIAAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Abdelmalek Essaâdi University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ilias","middleName":"","lastName":"Chakour","suffix":""},{"id":466252488,"identity":"7f678728-50f3-4091-b7d6-e84ebca5becc","order_by":1,"name":"Otman Abdoun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Abdelmalek Essaâdi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Otman","middleName":"","lastName":"Abdoun","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-28 13:53:35","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6548569/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6548569/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84043266,"identity":"2c348476-e29f-4f65-9608-7ab65e021b8b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-06 06:39:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":514893,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"VRPTWMLNSV2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6548569/v1_covered_7ea283e6-51f2-485e-9529-a7ab8b396310.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"An optimized clustering method for the vehicle routing problem with time windows to improve Moroccan waste management","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"cluster-computing","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Cluster Computing](https://www.springer.com/journal/10586)","snPcode":"10586","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10586/3","title":"Cluster Computing","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Moroccan Logistics, Vehicle Routing Problem, Time window, Optimization, large neighborhood search, Waste management","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6548569/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6548569/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Inefficient waste collection and transportation in Morocco have led to growing operational and environmental concerns, highlighting the importance of optimizing their routing to mitigate resources and carbon emissions. 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