Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Post-Consumer Waste Management Model for Determining Optimal Levels of Recycling and Landfilling

  • Published:
Environmental and Resource Economics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study examines the optimal recycling rate for municipal solid waste. First, an optimal control model is developed to account for the physical costs of recycling, the social costs of landfilling, and consumers' environmental preferences. Second, an optimal solution is simulated using waste disposal data from the Helsinki region in Finland. The benefits from recycling are included in the simulation using the results of a recent contingent valuation study. The results of the present research suggest that mandates for achieving 50% recycling in municipalities are not far-fetched and are both economically and environmentally justified.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, J. H. (1993), In Defense of Garbage. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amit, R. (1984), 'Petroleum Reservoir Exploitation: Switching fromPrimary to Secondary Recovery', Operations Research 34, 534–549.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beede, D. and D. Bloom (1995), 'Economics of the Generation and Management of Municipal Solid Waste', National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper Series No. 5116.

  • Brooke, A., D. Kendrick, and A. Meeraus (1988), GAMS: A User's Guide. Redwood City: The Scientific Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryson, A. E. and Y.-C. Ho (1975), Applied Optimal Control. Optimization Estimation, and Control. Washington D.C.: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinan, T. M. (1993), 'Economic Efficiency Effects of Alternative Policies for Reducing Waste Disposal', Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 25, 242–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eiswerth, M. E. (1993), 'Solvent Waste Disposal', Land Economics 69, 168–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goddard, H. (1995), 'The Benefits and Costs of Alternative Solid Waste Management Policies', Resources, Conservation and Recycling 13, 183–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartwick, J. M., M. C. Kemp, and N. V. Long (1986), 'Set-Up Costs and Theory of Exhaustible Resources', Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 13, 212–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S., R. M. Adams, and H. A. Love (1993), 'An Economic Analysis of Household Recycling of Solid Wastes: The Case of Portland, Oregon', Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 25, 136–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huhtala, A. (1994), Is Environmental Guilt a Driving Force? An Economic Study on Recycling.PhD thesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, R. R. (1993), The Economics of Solid Waste Reduction. The Impact of User Feeds. Aldershot: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusky, R. (1976), 'A Model of Recycling and Pollution Control', Canadian Journal of Economics 9, 91–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, J. (1991), 'Source Separation vs. Centralized Processing: An Avoided-Cost Optimization Model Provides Some Intriguing Answers', Journal of Resource Management and Technology 19, 37–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plourde, C. (1972), 'A Model of Waste Accumulation and Disposal', Canadian Journal of Economics 5, 119–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ready, M. J. and R. C. Ready (1995), 'Optimal Pricing of Depletable, Replaceable Resources: The Case of Landfill Tipping Fees', Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 28, 307–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seierstad, A. and K. Sydsæter (1987), Optimal Control Theory With Economic Applications.Ams-terdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, V. L. (1972), 'Dynamics of Waste Accumulation: Disposal Versus Recycling', Quarterly Journal of Economics 86, 600–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suomen kaupunkiliitto (1992), Euroopan yhteisojen kaatopaikkadirektiiviehdotuksen vaikutus kaatopaikkak¨ asittelyn kustannuksiin Suomessa (Impacts of 'A proposal for a European Council Directive on the landfill of waste' on landfilling costs in Finland), Technical report. The Associ-ation of Finnish Local Authorities, Helsinki.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomiyama, K. (1985), 'Two-Stage Optimal Control Problems and Optimality Conditions', Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 9, 317–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomiyama, K. and R. J. Rossana (1989), 'Two-Stage Optimal Control Problems With an Explicit Switch Point Dependence',Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 13, 319–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wirl, F. (1992), 'On the Marginal Costs of Garbage Disposal-a Viewpoint', International Journal of Environmental Studies 40, 165–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • YTV (1993), YTV-alueen jatehuoltopoliittinen suunnitelma1993 (A waste management plan for the Helsinki region 1993), Technical report. Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Forest Research Institute, Academy of Finland, Unioninkatu 40 A, 00170, Helsinki, Finland

    Anni Huhtala

Authors
  1. Anni Huhtala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huhtala, A. A Post-Consumer Waste Management Model for Determining Optimal Levels of Recycling and Landfilling. Environmental and Resource Economics 10, 301–314 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026475208718

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026475208718

Search

Navigation