Direct and indirect effects of waste management policies on household waste behaviour: The case of Sweden. (June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Andersson, Camilla; Stage, Jesper
• Is Part Of: Waste management. Volume 76(2018)
• Page Start: 19
• Page End: 27
• Publication Date: 2018-06
• Subjects: Food waste collection -- Signalling -- Sweden -- Waste management -- Waste tariffs; Hazardous wastes -- Periodicals; Refuse and refuse disposal -- Periodicals; 363.728
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.03.038
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-053X

Abstract

Highlights: We study how municipal policy instruments affect waste volumes. Collecting food waste separately is more effective overall than weight-based waste tariffs. Separate food waste collection is associated with increased recycling of several waste types. The signalling effect of food waste collection may be as important as direct incentive effects. Abstract: Swedish legislation makes municipalities responsible for recycling or disposing of household waste. Municipalities therefore play an important role in achieving Sweden's increased levels of ambition in the waste management area and in achieving the goal of a more circular economy. This paper studies how two municipal policy instruments – weight-based waste tariffs and special systems for the collection of food waste – affect the collected volumes of different types of waste. We find that a system of collecting food waste separately is more effective overall than imposing weight-based waste tariffs in respect not only of reducing the amounts of waste destined for incineration, but also of increasing materials recycling and biological recovery, despite the fact that the direct incentive effects of these two systems should be similar. Separate food waste collection was associated with increased recycling not only of food waste but also of other waste. Introducing separate food waste collection indirectly signals to households that recycling is important and desirable, and our results suggest that this signalling effect may be as important as direct incentive effects.