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If You Build It, Will They Compost? The Effects of Municipal Composting Services on Household Waste Disposal and Landfill Emissions

Author

Listed:
  • Lihini Silva

    (Monash University)

  • Rebecca L. C. Taylor

    (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Abstract

Composting food and garden waste generates less methane emissions than landfills, yet most organic waste is landfilled. This paper examines how local government provision of composting services affects the amount of household waste going to landfills. Using quasi-random adoption of curbside organics collection by local councils in Australia, we find that curbside organics collection diverted one-fourth of household waste from landfill to composting. We find no evidence that organics collection altered total household waste and weak evidence of a small negative spillover effect on dry-recycling waste. Our results suggest curbside organics collection could reduce emissions from landfills by 6–26%.

Suggested Citation

  • Lihini Silva & Rebecca L. C. Taylor, 2024. "If You Build It, Will They Compost? The Effects of Municipal Composting Services on Household Waste Disposal and Landfill Emissions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(3), pages 761-789, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:87:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s10640-023-00834-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-023-00834-x
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food and garden waste; Curbside waste collection; Composting; Recycling; Landfills; Methane emissions; Event study;
    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
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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