Households' preferences for door-to-door recycling service: A choice experiment in southern Chile

Abstract

Providing drop-off containers for recycling is a widely adopted strategy in developing countries to promote recycling and increase waste recovery rates. However, challenges such as container misuse, improper waste disposal, management difficulties leading to container overflow or collapse, and concerns about neighborhood cleanliness have highlighted the need for alternative approaches to complement existing recycling efforts. One potential solution is the implementation of a door-to-door recycling service. This study designs and implements a discrete choice experiment to elicit urban households' preferences for various attributes of such a system. Specifically, we examine how these attributes influence household participation in recycling schemes, particularly after prior exposure to drop-off recycling sites in their neighborhoods. To account for preference heterogeneity, we estimate mixed logit and latent-class models. Our findings suggest that the types of materials accepted for disposal and neighborhood cleanliness are the most influential attributes driving households' willingness to pay for a door-to-door recycling service. Additionally, socio-demographic characteristics, recycling motivations, and participation in recycling practices significantly shape household preferences. These insights offer valuable guidance for designing targeted policies and interventions to enhance waste management in urban areas.