Paper Number: EE-0425B

Document Date: 07/01/1999

Author(s):  Folz, David H., Bohm, Robert A., Peretz, Jean H., Tonn, Bruce E.,

Subject Area(s):

Solid Waste, Economic Incentives, Recycling

Keywords:  Solid Waste, Economic Incentives, Recycling

Abstract: 

This report examines opportunities for the application of economic incentive instruments for the management and reduction of hazardous wastes. The analysis concludes that as long as firms comply with existing regulations and bear potential tort liability, no additional incentives appear to be warranted. There may be significant residual external damages, however, if full compliance cannot be ensured. Neither waste-minimization standards not simple economic incentives appear promising as regulatory strategies aimed at noncompliant firms. An innovative economic incentive instrument is examined in which the overt identification of noncompliers is not required.

This paper is part of the  Environmental Economics Research Inventory.

• Analysis of National Solid Waste Recycling Programs and Development of Solid Waste Recycling Cost Functions: Summary Statistics for Data Set No. 1 (PDF)(20 pp, 66 K, 07/01/1999, EE-0425B)
  This report analyses summary statistics for a data set that consists of municipal solid waste recycling program activities for 158 U.S. municipalities who have operated recycling programs since 1989. The data were collected between April and June 1997 for calendar year 1996. There are 197 variables pertaining to such issues as costs, decision-making processes, problems in the recycling programs, and operational features. Methodology for the data set collection effort is included in Appendix A