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The costs of municipal waste and recycling programs

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  • Bohm, Robert A.
  • Folz, David H.
  • Kinnaman, Thomas C.
  • Podolsky, Michael J.

Abstract

This paper estimates cost functions for both municipal solid waste collection and disposal services and curbside recycling programs. Cost data are obtained from a national survey of randomly selected municipalities. Results suggest, perhaps unsurprisingly, that both marginal and average costs of recycling systems exceed those of waste collection and disposal systems. Economies of scale are estimated for all observed quantities of waste collection and disposal. Economies of scale for recycling disappear at high levels of recycling—marginal and average cost curves for recycling take on the usual U-shape. Waste and recycling costs are also estimated as functions of factor costs and program attributes.

Suggested Citation

  • Bohm, Robert A. & Folz, David H. & Kinnaman, Thomas C. & Podolsky, Michael J., 2010. "The costs of municipal waste and recycling programs," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(11), pages 864-871.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:54:y:2010:i:11:p:864-871
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.01.005
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    4. Campbell, Benjamin & Khachatryan, Hayk & Behe, Bridget & Hall, Charles & Dennis, Jennifer, 2016. "Crunch the can or throw the bottle? Effect of “bottle deposit laws” and municipal recycling programs," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 98-109.
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    7. Keramitsoglou, Kiriaki M. & Tsagarakis, Konstantinos P., 2013. "Public participation in designing a recycling scheme towards maximum public acceptance," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 55-67.
    8. Marcinkowski, Andrzej & Kowalski, Arkadiusz Michał, 2012. "The problem of preparation the food packaging waste for recycling in Poland," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 10-16.
    9. Vásquez, Óscar C. & Álvarez, Adolfo & Silva, Julio & Muga, Alicia Pincheira, 2014. "Towards the estimation of demand for recycling in Chile: The case of Santiago," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 94-102.
    10. Groot, Jim & Bing, Xiaoyun & Bos-Brouwers, Hilke & Bloemhof-Ruwaard, Jacqueline, 2014. "A comprehensive waste collection cost model applied to post-consumer plastic packaging waste," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 79-87.
    11. Fitzgerald, Garrett C. & Krones, Jonathan S. & Themelis, Nickolas J., 2012. "Greenhouse gas impact of dual stream and single stream collection and separation of recyclables," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 50-56.
    12. Škamlová Lucia & Klobučník Michal, 2021. "Recycling of municipal waste in Slovak cities," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 53(53), pages 43-54, September.
    13. Di Foggia, Giacomo & Beccarello, Massimo, 2023. "Designing circular economy-compliant municipal solid waste management charging schemes," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    14. Fujii, Minoru & Fujita, Tsuyoshi & Chen, Xudong & Ohnishi, Satoshi & Yamaguchi, Naohisa, 2012. "Smart recycling of organic solid wastes in an environmentally sustainable society," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-8.
    15. Swart, Julia & Groot, Loek, 2015. "Waste management alternatives: (Dis)economies of scale in recovery and decoupling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 43-55.
    16. Xiaoyue Liu & Jeongsoo Yu & Kazuaki Okubo & Masahiro Sato & Toshiaki Aoki, 2021. "Case Study on the Efficiency of Recycling Companies’ Waste Paper Collection Stations in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-13, October.
    17. Nazatul Haron & Shaufique F. Sidique & Alias Radam, 2017. "Examining the Attributes of Electronic Waste Recycling Service: A Choice Modelling Approach," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, August.
    18. Lakhan, Calvin, 2015. "Diversion, but at what cost? The economic challenges of recycling in Ontario," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 133-142.
    19. Hickle, Garth T., 2014. "An examination of governance within extended producer responsibility policy regimes in North America," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 55-65.

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