Assessing the impact of separate biowaste collection on residual household waste an analysis at the French intermunicipal level

This study evaluates the effectiveness of separate biowaste collection implemented by French local authorities by assessing its impact on the quantities of residual household waste collected per capita. Using a staggered Difference-in-Differences approach, we first examine the dynamic effect of biowaste separation policies on residual household waste. We then explore the heterogeneity of this effect across various economic and sociodemographic contexts, as well as under different waste pricing systems. Our findings reveal that, in the period following adoption, there was a significant average reduction of approximately 19.56 kg per capita in residual household waste among intermunicipal entities that implemented separate biowaste collection. However, this initial reduction is not sustained over time. The heterogeneity analysis shows that low-density areas and intermunicipal entities with limited tourist accommodations experience larger reductions in residual household waste after implementing separate biowaste collection, compared to high-density and high-tourism areas. Furthermore, our results suggest that incentive-based pricing systems significantly contribute to reducing residual household waste. Based on these results, we suggest ways to improve local public waste management policies.