IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/32981.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Economics of Recycling Heterogeneity

Author

Listed:
  • Don Fullerton
  • Thomas C. Kinnaman

Abstract

We summarize the economics of recycling municipal solid waste. OECD data suggest that aggregate recycling rates in member countries have plateaued in recent decades. United States recycling rates for some materials remain low, even after decades of learning and participation. Major new policies may be required to increase recycling rates. Aggregate recycling targets are common in the US and OECD but may no longer be effective. We discuss many sources of recycling heterogeneity often ignored. First, recyclable materials are very different from each other. Economies and natural environments differ across space, and technologies change over time. Recycling policies that ignore heterogeneity are likely not set appropriately. If policy costs are low enough to set a unique recycling policy for each material in each locality, then a surgical recycling strategy may better serve society. Specific recycling policies for automobile batteries differ greatly from policies for yard waste, because these two materials are different. A surgical recycling policy could extend this practice, so that rules for aluminum cans differ from plastic jugs or glass bottles. Reaching future recycling targets could be frustrated by ignoring these heterogeneities across materials, locations, and time.

Suggested Citation

  • Don Fullerton & Thomas C. Kinnaman, 2024. "The Economics of Recycling Heterogeneity," NBER Working Papers 32981, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32981
    Note: EEE
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w32981.pdf
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text is generally limited to series subscribers, however if the top level domain of the client browser is in a developing country or transition economy free access is provided. More information about subscriptions and free access is available at http://www.nber.org/wwphelp.html. Free access is also available to older working papers.
    ---><---

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

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rudiger, 2001. "Product Design and Efficient Management of Recycling and Waste Treatment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 109-134, January.
    2. 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.
    3. Yamamoto, Masashi & Kinnaman, Thomas C., 2022. "Is incineration repressing recycling?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Forlin, Valeria & Scholz, Eva-Maria, 2020. "Strategic take-back programs when consumers have heterogeneous environmental preferences," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Walls, Margaret, 2003. "The Role of Economics in Extended Producer Responsibility: Making Policy Choices and Setting Policy Goals," Discussion Papers 10855, Resources for the Future.
    2. Richard Benjamin & Jeffrey Wagner, 2006. "Reconsidering the law and economics of low-level radioactive waste management," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 8(1), pages 33-53, December.
    3. Matthew Gunter, 2007. "Do Economists Reach a Conclusion on Household and Municipal Recycling?," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 4(1), pages 83-111, January.
    4. Don Fullerton, 2024. "The Circular Economy," CESifo Working Paper Series 11109, CESifo.
    5. Reyer Gerlagh & Etienne Lorang, 2024. "Material Source and Waste Taxes in Competitive Equilibrium," CESifo Working Paper Series 11091, CESifo.
    6. Wagner, Jeffrey, 2011. "Incentivizing sustainable waste management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 585-594, February.
    7. Xi Sun, 2023. "The Role of Carbon Pricing in Promoting Material Recycling: A Model of Multi-Market Interactions," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2034, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    8. Richard Benjamin & Jeffrey Wagner, 2006. "Reconsidering the law and economics of low-level radioactive waste management," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 8(1), pages 33-53, December.
    9. Yasuyuki Sugiyama & Patcharin Koonsed, 2019. "International recycling firm joint ventures and optimal recycling standards," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 21(3), pages 427-449, July.
    10. Xi Sun & Karsten Neuhoff, 2024. "Realizing the Value of Recycling – Assessing the Elements of a Policy Package," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2069, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    11. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:11:y:2005:i:1:p:1-11 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Francisco J. André & Emilio Cerdá, 2005. "Gestión de residuos sólidos urbanos: Análisis económico y políticas públicas," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2005/23, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
    13. Nadezhda Kvasha & Olga Bolotnikova & Ekaterina Malevskaia-Malevich, 2023. "Biotechnological Basis of the Pulp and Paper Industry Circular Economic System," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Eduardo Ley & Molly K. Macauley & Stephen W. Salant, "undated". "Spatially and intertemporally efficient waste management: The costs of interstate flow control," Working Papers 97-07, FEDEA.
    15. Etienne Lorang & Antonello Lobianco & Philippe Delacote, 2023. "Increasing Paper and Cardboard Recycling: Impacts on the Forest Sector and Carbon Emissions," Post-Print hal-04690101, HAL.
    16. Asuncion Arner Guerre, 2022. "The Extended Producer Responsibility for Waste Oils," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(2), pages 210-217, March.
    17. Acuff, Kaylee & Kaffine, Daniel T., 2013. "Greenhouse gas emissions, waste and recycling policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 74-86.
    18. Cecere, Grazia & Mancinelli, Susanna & Mazzanti, Massimiliano, 2014. "Waste prevention and social preferences: the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 163-176.
    19. Numata, Daisuke, 2009. "Economic analysis of deposit–refund systems with measures for mitigating negative impacts on suppliers," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 199-207.
    20. Cui, Hailong & Sošić, Greys, 2019. "Recycling common materials: Effectiveness, optimal decisions, and coordination mechanisms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(3), pages 1055-1068.
    21. Chen, Yenming J. & Sheu, Jiuh-Biing & Lirn, Taih-Cherng, 2012. "Fault tolerance modeling for an e-waste recycling supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 897-906.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q38 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy (includes OPEC Policy)
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:nbr:nberwo:32981. 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: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    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.