ABSTRACT

In residential solid waste management, the United States has a great deal of experience in applying incentive-based environmental policy in the form of unit pricing. This study examines the two most common forms of unit pricing practiced in the United States. It offers intuition and empirical evidence suggesting divergence of theoretical expectations and actual outcomes regarding the effects of switching to unit pricing. Data collected from households in Marietta, Ga. during a solid waste pricing experiment serve as the basis for the analysis. (JEL Q28, D12)