Managing household waste in Ireland: behavioural parameters and policy options

Formulating efficient waste management policy requires data on market conditions. Data on household waste management behaviour in Ireland is scarce, and policy making could benefit from improved data and market analysis. In this paper we estimate models of household waste management behaviour in Ireland using econometrics and simple comparison of average effects, but we find that some important parameters cannot be obtained robustly using existing aggregate data. Drawing upon international literature in order to complete our assumptions, we apply a simulation model to illustrate the likely effects of some current policy options. We show that increases in the landfill levy are likely to have little effect on household behaviour if pay-by-use tariffs are not fully implemented, and we find that while introducing additional bins for segregated compostable waste may divert significant quantities of such waste, they are more effective in cities than in rural areas. We also highlight key shortcomings of the available data.