Extensive research has been carried out on waste collection costs mainly to differentiate costs of distinct waste streams and spatial optimization of waste collection services (e.g. routes, number, and location of waste facilities). However, waste collection managers also face the challenge of optimizing assets in time, for instance deciding when to replace and how to maintain, or which technological solution to adopt. These issues require a more detailed knowledge about the waste collection services' cost breakdown structure. The present research adjusts the methodology for buildings' life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, detailed in the ISO 15686-5:2008, to the waste collection assets. The proposed methodology is then applied to the waste collection assets owned and operated by a real municipality in Portugal (Cascais Ambiente - EMAC). The goal is to highlight the potential of the LCC tool in providing a baseline for time optimization of the waste collection service and assets, namely assisting on decisions regarding equipment operation and replacement.
Keywords: Waste collection; asset management; containers; life-cycle cost; vehicles.