**3. Results**

## *3.1. Stakeholder Preferences*

The weights for the objectives determined by the BCC cluster were obtained as an average for the weights obtained from the four stakeholders in the cluster. For example, we determined the BCC Cluster's weight for the objective 'high technical reliability' as 0.122, which is an average for the weights for the same objective as obtained from the Director of Health and Social Services (0.242), the Deputy Director (0.122), the Blantyre Cleansing Services Officer (0.095), and the Limbe Solid Waste Management Officer (0.027). The same approach was used to determine all stakeholder weights. The NGO's cluster weights were determined as an average for the weights by the four NGO representatives. The Chair's cluster weights were determined as an average for the weights by the three market chairs. The Vendors' cluster weights were determined as an average of the weights from the 16 market vendors consulted.

BCC and the NGOs ranked 'high environmental protection' as their most important objective (Figure 3). Market vendors ranked 'high hygiene and health protection' as their main objective, which was not surprising considering that they are the ones affected when biowaste is poorly managed in the market. Chairpersons ranked 'high economic sustainability' as their main objective.

**Figure 3.** Weights based on stakeholder preferences for the objectives.

## *3.2. Technology Scores*

The results of the normalised performance values multiplied by the weight of the respective objective and sum of all attribute scores for a specific technology option for the final score for that technology (Equation (5)) are shown in Figure 4. As a calculation example, for Vermicomposting (VC), the average weight (among all stakeholder clusters) for the objective 'high economic sustainability' (0.179) was multiplied by the normalised performance value for 'high economic sustainability' (0.981) to produce a 'high economic sustainability' score of 0.176 (0.179 × 0.981 = 0.176). The same approach produced scores for VC's 'high technical reliability' (0.147), 'high social acceptance' (0.130), 'high hygiene and community health protection' (0.104), and 'high environmental protection' (0.111). These objective scores added up (0.176 + 0.147 + 0.130 + 0.104 + 0.111 = 0.668) to obtain VC's overall score of 0.668.

**Figure 4.** Ranking of the final biowaste technology scores.

VC scored the highest overall and was thus considered the most appropriate technology to implement for LM (Figure 3). In-vessel composting (IC) was ranked as the second most suitable option. Finally, BSF ranked as the least suitable technology option to implement at LM.
