Accurate estimation of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation has become a crucial task in decision-making processes for the MSW planning and management systems. In this study, the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model tuned by Bayesian optimization was used to forecast the MSW generation of Turkey. The Bayesian optimization method, which can efficiently optimize the hyperparameters of kernel functions in the machine learning algorithms, was applied to reduce the computation redundancy and enhance the estimation performance of the models. Four socio-economic indicators such as population, gross domestic product per capita, inflation rate, and the unemployment rate were used as input variables. The performance of the Bayesian GPR (BGPR) model was compared with the multiple linear regression (MLR) and Bayesian support vector regression (BSVR) models. Different performance measures such as mean absolute deviation (MAD), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R²) values were used to evaluate the performance of the models. The exponential-GPR model tuned by Bayesian optimization showed superior performance with minimum MAD (0.0182), RMSE (0.0203), and high R² (0.9914) values in the training phase and minimum MAD (0.0342), RMSE (0.0463), and high R² (0.9841) values in the testing phase. The results of this study can help decision-makers to be aware of social-economic factors associated with waste management and ensure optimal usage of their resources in future planning.

Efficient inventory management, including optimal safety-stock levels, is crucial for operational continuity and cost-effectiveness in various industries. This study seeks the optimal inventory management strategy to minimize costs and determine ideal safety-stock levels. It compares five approaches: the company’s (STAR) current “number of days” method, two alternative models from the literature (the theory of constraints (TOC) replenishment model and the service-level approach), and two newly developed hybrid methodologies (the TOC replenishment model with ABC–XYZ classification and the service-level approach with ABC–XYZ classification). The analysis focused on financial performance, considering inventory holding and shortage costs. Monthly production plans were established and fixed as constant based on predetermined optimum month-end inventory levels derived from each method. Through simulation, actual month-end inventory levels were assessed, comparing total inventory costs (TICs). While unit holding costs (UHCs) were documented in financial records in the company, unit shortage costs (USCs) were not; thus, USCs were examined in three scenarios. The results show that the second proposed hybrid model consistently outperformed the other four methods, including the company’s current approach, significantly reducing TIC. The analysis emphasizes the importance of demand variation in setting safety stocks and demonstrates the second hybrid methodology’s effectiveness in optimizing safety-stock strategies and improving overall inventory management efficiency.

Due to the extraordinary impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and the resulting lockdown measures, the demand for energy in business and industry has dropped significantly. This change in demand makes it difficult to manage energy generation, especially electricity production and delivery. Thus, reliable models are needed to continue safe, secure, and reliable power. An accurate forecast of electricity demand is essential for making a reliable decision in strategic planning and investments in the future. This study presents the extensive effects of COVID‐19 on the electricity sector and aims to predict electricity demand accurately during the lockdown period in Turkey. For this purpose, well‐known machine learning algorithms such as Gaussian process regression (GPR), sequential minimal optimization regression (SMOReg), correlated Nyström views (XNV), linear regression (LR), reduced error pruning tree (REPTree), and M5P model tree (M5P) were used. The SMOReg algorithm performed best with the lowest mean absolute percentage error (3.6851%), mean absolute error (21.9590), root mean square error (29.7358), and root relative squared error (36.5556%) values in the test dataset. This study can help policy‐makers develop appropriate policies to control the harms of not only the current pandemic crisis but also an unforeseeable crisis.