Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Alternative Selection for Small Canadian Communities Using Collaborative Decision-Making Approach

Budget limitations, limited access to innovative wastewater treatment (WWT) solutions, and a lack of technical assets for small communities make selecting appropriate technologies for WWT a challenge. In this study, the best–worst approach (BWM) integrated with Multi-Objective Linear Programming (MOLP) using Sequential Interactive Modelling for Urban Systems (SIMUS) software approaches to determine the optimal solution. For a theoretical small group in Canada, seven widely used WWT technology alternatives were evaluated. The assessment was based on a systematic evaluation of technical, economic, social, and environmental parameters, with multiple sub-indices being composed of each parameter. Due to the above-mentioned constraints in the selection of the WWT process for small Canadian communities, this study examines how existing primary stakeholders can contribute to select the best alternatives from seven conventional WWT techniques. Besides, it revealed freedom for criteria selection by stakeholders to influence decision-making and provide more accurate results. This study can be further implemented and utilized for further advancement related to the WWT selection process.