Institutional and Management Approaches To Solid Waste Disposal in Large Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

There are significant advantages to a consolidated institutional approach to the management of municipal solid waste transfer and disposal in large metropolitan areas. Both operational and environmental benefits can be achieved. On the other hand, it is argued that collection services do not necessarily benefit from centralization, since there are only limited economies of scale. Furthermore, there is abundant evidence that the private sector can provide conventional collection services more efficiently than the public sector. This paper examines a model of decentralized collection and centralized transfer and disposal that is in place at Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. and which is being applied in Monterrey, Mexico. The partial application of this model in the Federal District of Mexico City is also examined. Lessons are drawn for the application of such a model to metropolitan areas in other developing countries.