A Cross-Country Study of Household Waste Prevention and Recycling: Assessing the Effective of Policy Instruments

With worldwide concern for how and where to dispose of household waste, policy-makers are increasingly looking for tools to efficiently and effectively reduce the amount of waste households produce. Using a comprehensive household-level data set involving 10,251 respondents from a cross-section of ten countries (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden), we examine waste policy, recycling behavior, and waste prevention. Unlike previous work, we empirically make comparisons across countries, incorporate attitudinal characteristics, and allow for the potential correction between the decisions of recycling different materials.