Abstract
Waste management is a challenging task around the globe. Waste disposal and recycling have important implications, not only for environmental preservation, but also for the public health, well-being, the economy and sustainable development. However, little is known about the impact of the recycling rates on public health and the willingness to pay to increase recycling. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship among household income, recycling rates and health status and to estimate the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) in Great Britain. The empirical analysis relied on data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) over the period 1999–2009. We estimated the impact of recycling rates and income on health status and we calculated the monetary value for a unit increase in recycling. To solve for the endogeneity issues, coming from possible reverse causality and omitted-variable bias, we implemented two instrumental variables (IV) approaches. First, we applied the Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and second, we estimated a Pooled Ordered Probit model. We found that for one percent increase in recycling rates, the average MWTP was estimated between £290 and £340 per annum. Furthermore, our results show that other determinants play an additional significant role on health status, such as the employment and marital status, the age, education level and meteorological conditions. While the study provides insights about the MWTP, future studies regarding the costs of providing recycling services may offer additional useful information to help the policy makers in the decision-making process.
Highlights
Solid waste disposal is a stinging and widespread worldwide problem in both urban and rural areas in many developed and developing countries
We examine the relationship between recycling rates and the self-reported health status using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), accounting for various individual-household characteristics and meteorological conditions
The arrows point out the direction of the potential relationships and we observe that socio-economic characteristics may influence both household income and recycling rates, and they can affect health status according to the studies we have presented in the previous section
Summary
Solid waste disposal is a stinging and widespread worldwide problem in both urban and rural areas in many developed and developing countries. Solid waste generation when is not recycled affects the climate, causing changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. The effect on climate change is only one of a number of environmental impacts that derive from solid waste management options. Other impacts include the contamination of water and emission of various air pollutants, including Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Hydrocarbons (HC), Particulate Matter (PM), Carbon Monoxide and Dioxide (CO, C O2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) that have a detrimental effect on health. The groups that are in particular risk are those living close to landfill sites and waste dumps, and those whose water supply has been contaminated due to leakage from the landfills. Hazardous waste is very risky, especially for children who are more vulnerable, leading to diseases through their exposure to dust and chemicals emitted from waste dumps
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