Dynamic Geo Solutions

Purpose
    The Texas State University Recycling and Waste Management Department approached Dynamic GeoSolutions in January 2014 to determine the optimal placement for recycling bins in an area of central campus.

Problem Statement
    In order to have the most efficient campus-recycling program, the department must locate recycling bins in areas of high student traffic where they have the maximum potential to capture recyclable material. Without adequate coverage, students will place recyclable material in trash bins. Dynamic GeoSolutions determined that a GIS analysis was the best option for determining optimal locations for recycling bins on campus. Before beginning work on the problem, we determined that the likely outcome of the analysis would be heavy foot traffic on the major east to west thoroughfare of campus and that new bins should be placed along this thoroughfare and near bus stops and food courts.

Project Overview
    Dynamic GeoSolutions analyzed the flow of foot traffic on campus to determine the most used paths, and with that information determined the optimal locations for outdoor recycling bins. The recommendations for bin placement took into consideration bus stops and food courts where students dispose of large amounts of waste, as well as currently unserved and underserved areas. Both university enrollment data and data collected in the field were used to make recommendations for the placement of bins..

Results
    After completing our analysis our results were similar to our initial expectations. After the initial foot traffic analysis only one route had high student foot traffic. However, our ranking system is based not only on student foot traffic but also proximity to bus stops and food courts. After factoring in the influence of bus stops and food courts, some of the routes were classified as having higher foot traffic than before. Most of the routes that gained more weight were near the Quad, such as the route on Edward Gary St. and the route that passes in front of Jones Dining Hall. Routes near the bus loop also gained more weight as well as the route leading up to Old Main.