IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v53y2008i1p79-85.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Representations of environmental concerns in cost–benefit analyses of solid waste recycling

Author

Listed:
  • Pickin, Joe

Abstract

The value of cost–benefit analysis (CBA) as a decision tool in the area of solid waste recycling is examined, centring on a review of how 37 ‘effect-by-effect’ English language studies attempt to encapsulate the associated environmental issues. I identify five critical areas where CBAs are often inconsistent with each other, with popular views of recycling, or with other areas of policy. These are: the types of environmental impact and their valuation; the relevance of upstream externalities; whether there is a scarcity externality; the economic significance of householder efforts; and the need to drive towards long-term sustainability through eco-restructuring. Rather than the hard rationality it seems to promise, I conclude that CBA with environmental externality measurement and valuation has diverted debate from the public arena into technical complexities that are the preserve of experts, allowing space for analysts’ ideological inclinations to be manifest and for commissioning agencies to procure results that suit their interests. I argue that the best CBAs are those with multiple levels of information, disaggregated environmental data, range values, sensitivity analysis, itemisation of excluded or unvalued elements, and, to the extent affordable, valuation by multiple methods. Expressed preference methods may produce valuations that accord with economic theory and are also more in tune with popular opinion.

Suggested Citation

  • Pickin, Joe, 2008. "Representations of environmental concerns in cost–benefit analyses of solid waste recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 79-85.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:53:y:2008:i:1:p:79-85
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2008.09.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344908001419
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2008.09.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew Leach & Ausilio Bauen & Nigel Lucas, 1997. "A Systems Approach to Materials Flow in Sustainable Cities: A Case Study of Paper," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 705-724.
    2. Donald N. Dewees & Michael J. Hare, 1998. "Economic Analysis of Packaging Waste Reduction," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 24(4), pages 453-470, December.
    3. Annegrete Bruvoll & Karine Nyborg, 2002. "On the value of households' recycling efforts," Discussion Papers 316, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    4. John M. Gowdy, 2004. "The Revolution in Welfare Economics and Its Implications for Environmental Valuation and Policy," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 80(2), pages 239-257.
    5. Frey, Bruno S & Oberholzer-Gee, Felix, 1997. "The Cost of Price Incentives: An Empirical Analysis of Motivation Crowding-Out," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 746-755, September.
    6. Bromley, Daniel W., 1990. "The ideology of efficiency: Searching for a theory of policy analysis," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 86-107, July.
    7. Oecd, 2005. "Analytical Framework for Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Extended Producer Responsibility Programmes," OECD Papers, OECD Publishing, vol. 5(3), pages 1-58.
    8. Robert M. Solow, 1974. "The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Chennat Gopalakrishnan (ed.), Classic Papers in Natural Resource Economics, chapter 12, pages 257-276, Palgrave Macmillan.
    9. John Hartwick, 1977. "Intergenerational Equity and the Investment of Rents from Exhaustible Resources in a Two Sector Model," Working Paper 281, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    10. Palmer, Karen & Sigman, Hilary & Walls, Margaret, 1997. "The Cost of Reducing Municipal Solid Waste," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 128-150, June.
    11. Begum, Rawshan Ara & Siwar, Chamhuri & Pereira, Joy Jacqueline & Jaafar, Abdul Hamid, 2006. "A benefit–cost analysis on the economic feasibility of construction waste minimisation: The case of Malaysia," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 86-98.
    12. Hartwick, John M, 1977. "Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(5), pages 972-974, December.
    13. Tiller, Kelly & Jakus, Paul M. & Park, William M., 1997. "Household Willingness To Pay For Dropoff Recycling," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 22(2), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Caplan, Arthur J. & Grijalva, Therese C. & Jakus, Paul M., 2002. "Waste not or want not? A contingent ranking analysis of curbside waste disposal options," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2-3), pages 185-197, December.
    15. Harold Hotelling, 1931. "The Economics of Exhaustible Resources," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(2), pages 137-137.
    16. Bebbington, Jan & Brown, Judy & Frame, Bob, 2007. "Accounting technologies and sustainability assessment models," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 224-236, March.
    17. Anni Huhtala, 1997. "A Post-Consumer Waste Management Model for Determining Optimal Levels of Recycling and Landfilling," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 10(3), pages 301-314, October.
    18. repec:reg:rpubli:98 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Dahlbo, Helena & Ollikainen, Markku & Peltola, Sanna & Myllymaa, Tuuli & Melanen, Matti, 2007. "Combining ecological and economic assessment of options for newspaper waste management," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 42-63.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Andrzej Marcinkowski & Paweł Haręża, 2022. "The Effect of Heat Source on Cost of Preparation of Household Food Packaging Waste for Recycling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-13, August.
    3. Paolo Sospiro & Leonardo Nibbi & Marco Ciro Liscio & Maurizio De Lucia, 2021. "Cost–Benefit Analysis of Pumped Hydroelectricity Storage Investment in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-20, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hala Abu-Kalla & Ruslana Rachel Palatnik & Ofira Ayalon & Mordechai Shechter, 2020. "Hoard or Exploit? Intergenerational Allocation of Exhaustible Natural Resources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Manel Kamoun & Ines Abdelkafi & Abdelfetah Ghorbel, 2019. "The Impact of Renewable Energy on Sustainable Growth: Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(1), pages 221-237, March.
    3. Smith, James L., 2012. "On the portents of peak oil (and other indicators of resource scarcity)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 68-78.
    4. Manel Kamoun & Ines Abdelkafi & Abdelfetah Ghorbel, 2020. "Does Renewable Energy Technologies and Poverty Affect the Sustainable Growth in Emerging Countries?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(3), pages 865-887, September.
    5. van den Bremer, Ton & van der Ploeg, Frederick & Wills, Samuel, 2016. "The Elephant In The Ground: Managing Oil And Sovereign Wealth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 113-131.
    6. Daniele Schilirò, 2019. "Sustainability, Innovation, and Efficiency: A Key Relationship," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, in: Magdalena Ziolo & Bruno S. Sergi (ed.), Financing Sustainable Development, chapter 0, pages 83-102, Palgrave Macmillan.
    7. Hart, Rob, 2016. "Non-renewable resources in the long run," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-20.
    8. Giuseppe Cornelli, 2017. "Cosa s’intende per sostenibilità economica? Riflessione sul significato di sistema economicamente sostenibile/What is meant by economic ustainability? Reflection on the definition of today’s concept o," IRCrES Working Paper 201710, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY.
    9. Perrings, Charles, 2014. "Environment and development economics 20 years on," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(3), pages 333-366, June.
    10. Fondo Sikod & Gadom Djal-Gadom & et Armand Luc Fotuè Totouom, 2013. "Soutenabilité Economique d'une Ressource Epuisable: Cas du Pétrole Tchadien," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 25(3), pages 344-357, September.
    11. Humberto Llavador & John E. Roemer & Joaquim Silvestre, 2013. "Should we sustain? And if so, sustain what? Consumption or the quality of life?," Chapters, in: Roger Fouquet (ed.), Handbook on Energy and Climate Change, chapter 30, pages 639-665, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Edward B. Barbier & Joanne C. Burgess, 2021. "Sustainable Use of the Environment, Planetary Boundaries and Market Power," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    13. Martinet, Vincent, 2007. "A step beside the maximin path: Can we sustain the economy by following Hartwick's investment rule?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 103-108, October.
    14. Vincent Martinet, 2007. "Maximizing minimal rights for sustainability: a viability approach," Working Papers hal-04139217, HAL.
    15. Michael Ludwig & Herbert G. Mayer & Andreas W. Rathgeber & Christina Spriegel & Florian Vogg, 2017. "A truly market-value weighted commodity index," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(3), pages 222-242, May.
    16. Hou, Zheng & Roseta-Palma, Catarina & Ramalho, Joaquim José dos Santos, 2021. "Does directed technological change favor energy? Firm-level evidence from Portugal," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    17. Daw, Georges, 2017. "Security of mineral resources: A new framework for quantitative assessment of criticality," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 173-189.
    18. Bazhanov, Andrei V., 2022. "Extraction path and sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    19. Dzhumashev, Ratbek, 2024. "The role of physical constraints on production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    20. Kwabena Asomanin Anaman & Felix Agyei-Sasu, 2014. "The Economic Value of Environmental Capital Inputs Used to Produce the Gross Domestic Product in Ghana, 1993 to 2012," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 5(2), pages 74-92, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:53:y:2008:i:1:p:79-85. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.