Circular economy modelling for healthcare waste management by integrating system dynamics and analytical network process

Masoomeh Zeinalnezhad (), Somaieh Alavi (), Seyedmehdi Mirmohammadsadeghi (), Angappa Gunasekaran () and Golam Kabir ()
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Masoomeh Zeinalnezhad: West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University
Somaieh Alavi: Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University
Seyedmehdi Mirmohammadsadeghi: University of Regina
Angappa Gunasekaran: Penn State Harrisburg Middletown
Golam Kabir: University of Regina

Operations Management Research, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, No 8, 987-1012

Abstract: Abstract Health and environmental crises related to plastic waste have necessitated the implementation of circular economy (CE), especially among hospitals. By using the CE model for waste management, it will be easier to transfer collected waste from landfills to recycling plants and reduce waste generation by increasing reuse and recycling as well as using plastic waste as a resource. However, due to the degree of confusion in the hospital, there is a lack of targeted joint research that uses the principles of waste management and the concept of CE. The purpose of this study is to first examine how CE may act as a catalyst for change in medical plastic waste management. To begin with, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify important variables affecting the application of CE in the valuation of plastic waste. Then, barriers and drivers of transition to CE were studied from a linear perspective and evaluation indicators of CE actions were identified. In total, 21 strategies are proposed and classified into five categories: government policy, management policy, technology, industry and supply chain (SC). A system dynamics (SD) model was developed through a causal loop diagram to describe CE implementation strategies in hospitals. The causal loop diagram facilitates an in-depth understanding of the interactions of important factors that influence the hospital's CE and plastic reduction strategies. It defines the relationships between the sub-criteria and also between the main criteria for Analytical Network Processs (ANP) model. ANP was used for prioratizing the CE strategies.

Keywords: Plastic waste management; Hospital; Circular economy; Sustainable supply chain; Causal loop diagram; Analytical network process (ANP) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s12063-025-00553-0

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