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Market Structure of Urban Waste Treatment and Disposal: Empirical Evidence from the Italian Industry

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  • Di Foggia, Giacomo
  • Beccarello, Massimo

Abstract

In light of the organizational dynamics of services of economic interest, the regulation of municipal solid waste management is a critical issue to deal with so as to achieve sustainability goals in the coming decades. The European circular economy targets limit the share of municipal waste in landfills to a maximum of 10% by 2035. Consequently, waste-to-energy plants may temporarily become the primary option for residual unsorted waste. The municipal waste management chain comprises two consequential stages: collection and transport, and the treatment and disposal stage, which characterizes as an oligopolistic market structure. After defining the relevant market and calculating market concentration measures, we analyze market power in the treatment and disposal of non-recyclable mixed waste, also known as residual waste. Our analyses are based on empirical data using well-known market concentration indices such as the Herfindahl–Hirschman index and concentration ratios. We report the results of three different market concentration scenarios based on alternative geographic and product market definitions. Considering only waste-to-energy as a product market, we present a situation of moderate concentration, typically involving the attention of competition authorities. On the contrary, considering both options as a single product market, no relevant evidence emerges due to the significant share of waste sent to landfills in 2019, i.e., 20.1% of the total municipal solid waste generated in Italy. Implications for future studies consist of new detailed information on the municipal waste treatment market structure in one of the leading European countries that may prompt comparative studies. Policy implications are derived from the possibility of taking cues from this paper to envisage appropriate regulatory models for an evolving sector in which market spaces are increasing.

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  • Di Foggia, Giacomo & Beccarello, Massimo, 2021. "Market Structure of Urban Waste Treatment and Disposal: Empirical Evidence from the Italian Industry," SocArXiv fwk6d, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:fwk6d
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/fwk6d
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    1. Barbara ANTONIOLI & Antonio MASSARUTTO, 2012. "The Municipal Waste Management Sector In Europe: Shifting Boundaries Between Public Service And The Market," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 83(4), pages 505-532, December.
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    6. Massarutto, Antonio, 2007. "Municipal waste management as a local utility: Options for competition in an environmentally-regulated industry," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 9-19, March.
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    8. Di Foggia, Giacomo & Beccarello, Massimo, 2021. "Designing waste management systems to meet circular economy goals: The Italian case," MPRA Paper 105959, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Raymond Gradus & Martijn Schoute & Elbert Dijkgraaf, 2018. "The effects of market concentration on costs of local public services: empirical evidence from Dutch waste collection," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 86-104, January.
    10. Di Foggia, Giacomo, 2021. "Energy-Efficient Products and Competitiveness in the Manufacturing Sector," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1).
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    2. Massimo Beccarello & Giacomo Di Foggia, 2023. "Efficient scale and scope of business models used in municipal solid waste management," European Journal of Management and Business Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(4), pages 492-508, April.
    3. Simon Pröll & Heidelinde Grüneis & Franz Sinabell, 2022. "Market Concentration, Producer Organizations, and Policy Measures to Strengthen the Opportunities of Farmers for Value Addition—Empirical Findings from the Austrian Meat Supply Chain Using a Multi-Met," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Ugo Arrigo & Massimo Beccarello & Giacomo Di Foggia, 2023. "Strategic Response of European Airlines to Market Dynamics: A Comparative Analysis," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Tomasz Jedynak & Krzysztof Wąsowicz, 2021. "The Relationship between Efficiency and Quality of Municipally Owned Corporations: Evidence from Local Public Transport and Waste Management in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-30, August.

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