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Institutional Developments in the Dutch Waste-Collection Market

Author

Listed:
  • Elbert Dijkgraaf

    (SEOR-ECRi and Rotterdam School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Room H 7-34, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Raymond H J M Gradus

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, ECRi (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment)

Abstract

We analyse the Dutch waste-collection market for 1998–2005. We show that municipalities with unit-based pricing (UBP) or waste collection by private companies have lower costs. However, this cost advantage decreases over time as competition decreases, because of the introduction of the VAT-compensation fund, and because of contamination of waste streams. The cost advantage of private provision is shown to be much larger in the first years, while a longer duration of private production results in lower efficiency. An important conclusion from this study is that UBP, although its effectiveness deteriorates over time, is more effective in reducing cost than is contracting out. Moreover, we show that the effect of contracting out might have been overestimated in the previous literature because there is a correlation between the use of contracting out and UBP. Low incentive UBP systems, based on volume or frequency, are only effective when the municipality does not collect the waste itself.

Suggested Citation

  • Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond H J M Gradus, 2008. "Institutional Developments in the Dutch Waste-Collection Market," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 26(1), pages 110-126, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:26:y:2008:i:1:p:110-126
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    Cited by:

    1. Wassenaar, M.C. & Dijkgraaf, E. & Gradus, R.H.J.M., 2007. "Contracting out: Dutch municipalities reject the solution for the VAT-distortion," Serie Research Memoranda 0003, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    2. E. Dijkgraaf & R. Gradus, 2011. "Efficiency Effects of Privatising Refuse Collection: Be careful and Alternatives present," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-156/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    3. Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond Gradus & Thomas Kinnaman & Dale W. Jorgenson & Mun S. Ho & Kevin J. Stiroh, 2008. "Comments: Elbert Dijkgraaf and Raymond Gradus, Thomas Kinnaman; and a Correction," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 243-244, Spring.
    4. Paolo Esposito & Spiridione Lucio Dicorato & Emanuele Doronzo, 2021. "The effect of ownership on sustainable development and environmental policy in urban waste management: An explicatory empirical analysis of Italian municipal corporations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1067-1079, February.
    5. Pfister, Naomi & Mathys, Nicole A., 2022. "Waste taxes at work: Evidence from the canton of Vaud in Switzerland," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    6. Bel, Germà & Fageda, Xavier, 2010. "Empirical analysis of solid management waste costs: Some evidence from Galicia, Spain," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 187-193.
    7. Bel Germà & Fageda Xavier & E. Mildred, 2014. "Is private production of public services cheaper than public production? A meta-regression analysis of solid waste and water services," Public administration issues, Higher School of Economics, issue 3, pages 103-140.
    8. Germà Bel & Francisco González-Gómez & Andrés J Picazo-Tadeo, 2015. "Does market concentration affect prices in the urban water industry?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 33(6), pages 1546-1565, December.
    9. Iafolla, Valentina & Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Nicolli, Francesco, 2010. "Are You SURE You Want to Waste Policy Chances? Waste Generation, Landfill Diversion and Environmental Policy Effectiveness in the EU15," Sustainable Development Papers 91010, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    10. E. Dijkgraaf & R.H.J.M. Gradus, 2008. "How to Get Increasing Competition in the Dutch Refuse Collection Market?," Springer Books, in: E. Dijkgraaf & R.H.J.M. Gradus (ed.), The Waste Market, chapter 0, pages 101-109, Springer.
    11. Bel, Germà & Warner, Mildred, 2008. "Does privatization of solid waste and water services reduce costs? A review of empirical studies," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 52(12), pages 1337-1348.
    12. Xavier Fageda & Germa Bel, 2008. "Choosing hybrid organizations for local servicesdelivery: An empirical analysis of partial privatization," IREA Working Papers 200803, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Apr 2008.
    13. Fikret Adaman & Ayse Mumcu, 2011. "Collective Sanctions as a Remedy to the Household Waste Problem," Working Papers 2011/03, Bogazici University, Department of Economics.
    14. Nuno Ferreira da Cruz & Pedro Simões & Rui Cunha Marques, 2013. "The Hurdles of Local Governments with Ppp Contracts in the Waste Sector," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 31(2), pages 292-307, April.
    15. Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond Gradus, 2015. "Efficiency Effects of Unit-Based Pricing Systems and Institutional Choices of Waste Collection," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 61(4), pages 641-658, August.
    16. Valentina Iafolla & Massimiliano Mazzanti & Francesco Nicolli, 2010. "Rifiuti generati, rifiuti in discarica ed efficacia delle politiche ambientali in Europa," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(2), pages 103-135.
    17. Amir HEFETZ & Mildred E. WARNER, 2010. "Dynamics of service provision: service, market and place characteristics," Departmental Working Papers 2010-33, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    18. Amir Hefetz & Mildred E Warner & Eran Vigoda-Gadot, 2012. "Privatization and Intermunicipal Contracting: The US Local Government Experience 1992–2007," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(4), pages 675-692, August.
    19. Antonio Massarutto, 2019. "Italian waste in the circular economy: A agenda for industry regulators in Italy," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(1), pages 9-48.

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