IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v106y2016icp68-77.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship between municipal waste diversion incentivization and recycling system performance

Author

Listed:
  • Lakhan, Calvin

Abstract

This study examines the effects of municipal recycling incentivization on municipal recycling rates and program costs in Ontario, Canada. Ontario is currently one of only two jurisdictions in Canada to fund municipal waste diversion programs using an incentive-based system that allocates funding in proportion to a municipality's recycling rate performance. Packaging fees remitted by packaging producers under Ontario's shared producer responsibility model are distributed to municipalities based on three factors: relative recycling performance, program costs and adherence to recycling best practices. Using a combination of panel data collected from 223 Ontario municipalities between the periods of 2003 and 2014 and semi structured interviews with recycling stakeholders, this study aims to examine whether municipalities respond to financial incentivization by increasing total recycling or decreasing costs. The results of the statistical modeling used in this study indicate that there is no statistically significant relationship between municipal incentives, recycling rates or program costs. This suggests that Ontario's municipal recycling funding methodology fails to achieve its intended objectives, and as such, necessitates that the approach be revisited to ensure maximum waste diversion.

Suggested Citation

  • Lakhan, Calvin, 2016. "The relationship between municipal waste diversion incentivization and recycling system performance," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 68-77.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:106:y:2016:i:c:p:68-77
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344915301336
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas C. Kinnaman & Don Fullerton, 2002. "Garbage and Recycling with Endogenous Local Policy," Chapters, in: Don Fullerton & Thomas C. Kinnaman (ed.), The Economics of Household Garbage and Recycling Behavior, chapter 6, pages 120-143, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Hornik, Jacob & Cherian, Joseph & Madansky, Michelle & Narayana, Chem, 1995. "Determinants of recycling behavior: A synthesis of research results," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 105-127.
    3. Daube, Marc & Ulph, David, 2014. "Moral Behaviour, Altruism and Environmental Policy," 2007 Annual Meeting, July 29-August 1, 2007, Portland, Oregon TN 2015-11, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    4. Hai-Lan Yang & Robert Innes, 2007. "Economic Incentives and Residential Waste Management in Taiwan: An Empirical Investigation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 37(3), pages 489-519, July.
    5. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    6. Anton, W.R.Q.Wilma Rose Q. & Deltas, George & Khanna, Madhu, 2004. "Incentives for environmental self-regulation and implications for environmental performance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 632-654, July.
    7. Daube, Marc & Ulph, David, 2014. "Moral Behaviour, Altruism and Environmental Policy," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-11, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    8. Lakhan, Calvin, 2014. "Exploring the relationship between municipal promotion and education investments and recycling rate performance in Ontario, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 222-229.
    9. Thomas C. Kinnaman & Don Fullerton, 1997. "Garbage and Recycling in Communities with Curbside Recycling and Unit-Based Pricing," NBER Working Papers 6021, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Lakhan, Calvin, 2015. "Evaluating the effects of unit based waste disposal schemes on the collection of household recyclables in Ontario, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 38-45.
    11. Scott J. Callan & Janet M. Thomas, 2006. "Analyzing Demand For Disposal And Recycling Services: A Systems Approach," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 221-240, Spring.
    12. Breusch, T S & Pagan, A R, 1979. "A Simple Test for Heteroscedasticity and Random Coefficient Variation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1287-1294, September.
    13. Timothy K. M. Beatty & Peter Berck & Jay P. Shimshack, 2007. "Curbside Recycling In The Presence Of Alternatives," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(4), pages 739-755, October.
    14. Jenkins, Robin R. & Martinez, Salvador A. & Palmer, Karen & Podolsky, Michael J., 2003. "The determinants of household recycling: a material-specific analysis of recycling program features and unit pricing," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 294-318, March.
    15. Sidique, Shaufique F. & Lupi, Frank & Joshi, Satish V., 2010. "The effects of behavior and attitudes on drop-off recycling activities," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 163-170.
    16. Marc Daube & David Ulph, 2014. "Moral Behaviour, Altruism and Environmental Policy," Discussion Paper Series, School of Economics and Finance 201409, School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Di Foggia, Giacomo & Beccarello, Massimo, 2023. "Designing circular economy-compliant municipal solid waste management charging schemes," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Neeraj C. Hanumante & Yogendra Shastri & Andrew Hoadley, 2022. "Sustainability in a global circular economy: Insights on consumer price sensitivity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(3), pages 1094-1107, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lakhan, Calvin, 2015. "Evaluating the effects of unit based waste disposal schemes on the collection of household recyclables in Ontario, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 38-45.
    2. Lakhan, Calvin, 2014. "Exploring the relationship between municipal promotion and education investments and recycling rate performance in Ontario, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 222-229.
    3. Takehiro Usui & Kenji Takeuchi, 2014. "Evaluating Unit-Based Pricing of Residential Solid Waste: A Panel Data Analysis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 58(2), pages 245-271, June.
    4. Marie Briguglio, 2016. "Household Cooperation In Waste Management: Initial Conditions And Intervention," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 497-525, July.
    5. Starr, Jared & Nicolson, Craig, 2015. "Patterns in trash: Factors driving municipal recycling in Massachusetts," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 7-18.
    6. Olle Hage & Krister Sandberg & Patrik Söderholm & Christer Berglund, 2018. "The regional heterogeneity of household recycling: a spatial-econometric analysis of Swedish plastic packing waste," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 245-267, October.
    7. Saphores, Jean-Daniel M. & Nixon, Hilary, 2014. "How effective are current household recycling policies? Results from a national survey of U.S. households," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-10.
    8. Abbott, Andrew & Nandeibam, Shasikanta & O'Shea, Lucy, 2011. "Explaining the variation in household recycling rates across the UK," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 2214-2223, September.
    9. Sidique, Shaufique F. & Joshi, Satish V. & Lupi, Frank, 2010. "Factors influencing the rate of recycling: An analysis of Minnesota counties," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 242-249.
    10. Abbott, Andrew & Nandeibam, Shasikanta & O'Shea, Lucy, 2017. "The Displacement Effect of Convenience: The Case of Recycling," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 159-168.
    11. W. Kip Viscusi & Joel Huber & Jason Bell & Caroline Cecot, 2013. "Discontinuous Behavioral Responses to Recycling Laws and Plastic Water Bottle Deposits," American Law and Economics Review, American Law and Economics Association, vol. 15(1), pages 110-155.
    12. Maarten A. Allers & Corine Hoeben, 2010. "Effects of Unit-Based Garbage Pricing: A Differences-in-Differences Approach," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 45(3), pages 405-428, March.
    13. Acuff, Kaylee & Kaffine, Daniel T., 2013. "Greenhouse gas emissions, waste and recycling policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 74-86.
    14. Dasgupta, Partha & Southerton, Dale & Ulph, Alistair & Ulph, David, 2014. "Consumer Behaviour in a Social Context: Implications for Environmental Policy," 2007 Annual Meeting, July 29-August 1, 2007, Portland, Oregon TN 2015-10, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    15. Partha Dasgupta & Dale Southerton & Alistair Ulph & David Ulph, 2016. "Consumer Behaviour with Environmental and Social Externalities: Implications for Analysis and Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(1), pages 191-226, September.
    16. Hage, Olle & Söderholm, Patrik & Berglund, Christer, 2009. "Norms and economic motivation in household recycling: Empirical evidence from Sweden," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 155-165.
    17. Matsumoto, Shigeru, 2011. "Waste separation at home: Are Japanese municipal curbside recycling policies efficient?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 325-334.
    18. Best, Henning & Kneip, Thorsten, 2014. "Curbside Collection and Participation in Household Waste Recycling: A Causal Analysis," MEA discussion paper series 201415, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    19. Bueno, Matheus & Valente, Marica, 2019. "The effects of pricing waste generation: A synthetic control approach," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 274-285.
    20. Dijkgraaf, E. & Gradus, R. H. J. M., 2004. "Cost savings in unit-based pricing of household waste: The case of The Netherlands," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 353-371, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:106:y:2016:i:c:p:68-77. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.