ABSTRACT
The generation of excess waste, an aging landfill system, and local resistance to new landfill sites have prompted fundamental reform of municipal solid waste (MSW) policy across the U. S. It is commonly argued that the requisite policy response is one that encourages source reduction as well as waste diversion through recycling. This chapter examines the estimates for local initiatives, that is the use of unit pricing and the availability of alternative types of recycling and disposal services. It considers the effect of state policy instruments, that is the provision of free recycling and marketing services at the state's materials recycling facility and the municipal grant awards for education and equipment. In the absence of materials-specific recycling data at the local level, the existence of any such bias is unknown. The recycling rate used in the estimation is for fiscal year 1995 and is measured as the ratio of tons of MSW recycled or composted to tons of MSW generated.
