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Changes in household recycling behavior: Evidence from panel data

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  • Viscusi, W. Kip
  • Huber, Joel
  • Bell, Jason

Abstract

This article uses a longitudinal national U.S. dataset with 232,309 pairs of same-household observations to estimate one-year or two-year changes in recycling behavior. Most households recycled at least one material, as 83% recycle paper, cans, glass, or plastic in the past year, with an average recycling rate of 2.8 materials. Recycling habits are stable, as 68% of households do not change the number of materials recycled from the previous year. Changes in county recycling are reflected in immediate changes in household behavior but at 25% of the change in the county recycling rate. Recycling rates are greater after being newly exposed to deposit laws (+7%), moving to a state with effective recycling laws (+6%), or newly available single-stream recycling (+4%). If market prices for the returned cans doubled, household recycling of cans would increase by 12%, although price responsiveness of recycling other materials is less. Shocks to the household may diminish recycling in the short term, including marriage (−2%), arrival of a newborn (−1%), and either large increase in income (−1%) or large decrease in income (−3%). The estimates for the total number of materials and which particular materials a household recycles follow similar patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Viscusi, W. Kip & Huber, Joel & Bell, Jason, 2023. "Changes in household recycling behavior: Evidence from panel data," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:208:y:2023:i:c:s0921800923000824
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107819
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Recycling; Panel data; Deposits; Single-stream; Cans; Glass; Plastic;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • Q30 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - General

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