Willingness to Pay for Solid Waste Management Service in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh: A Contingent Valuation Approach

Abstract

The study aims to estimate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for solid waste management service (SWMS) in the slum areas of Rajshahi. To satisfy the objective, a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM) has been applied. Data were analyzed using logistic regression model. The findings of the study reveal that majority of the households (87.5%) have a positive WTP for the service. Their mean WTP per month is found to be Tk. 25.92 (0.22 US$). Households’ WTP decision was significantly influenced by monthly household income, gender, and education level of the household head, household size, amounts of waste generation, and their concern about waste management. The contribution of the present study is that the findings can help with developing a system of payment for SWMS, which is obvious for a contingent valuation (CV) study and this can be a suggestion on pricing the service by the municipal authority, who generally lacks this information. Moreover, the study will contribute policies regarding minimization of waste-caused environmental pollution by analyzing residents’ motivation toward the issue.