Curbside recycling increases household consumption

IF 11.2 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Resources Conservation and Recycling Pub Date : 2023-10-23 DOI:10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107271

Jason Maier , Roland Geyer , Douglas G. Steigerwald

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The environmental benefits of recycling depend on the extent to which it reduces virgin material consumption, yet there currently is a lack of empirical research on this relationship. This study addresses this gap by leveraging data on variation in the regional adoption of curbside recycling programs in North Carolina between 1999 and 2019. It uses difference-in-differences regression methods with two-way fixed effects to compare solid waste generation between similar communities with and without recycling programs. The study finds that during the study period solid waste generation in North Carolina increased by 6–10 % in the presence of curbside recycling, providing empirical evidence of circular economy rebound on the household level. This result suggests that the current focus of recycling programs and other circular economy activities, which is to increase the availability of secondary resources through collection and recycling, should be complemented by efforts to reduce the consumption of primary resources.

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路边回收增加了家庭消费

回收的环境效益取决于它在多大程度上减少了原始材料的消耗，但目前缺乏对这种关系的实证研究。这项研究通过利用1999年至2019年间北卡罗来纳州路边回收项目区域采用情况的变化数据来解决这一差距。它使用具有双向固定效应的差异回归方法来比较有回收计划和没有回收计划的类似社区之间的固体废物产生情况。研究发现，在研究期间，在路边回收的情况下，北卡罗来纳州的固体废物产生量增加了6-10%，为家庭层面的循环经济反弹提供了经验证据。这一结果表明，目前回收计划和其他循环经济活动的重点是通过收集和回收增加二次资源的可用性，同时应努力减少一次资源的消耗。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Resources Conservation and Recycling 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

22.90

自引率

6.10%

发文量

625

审稿时长

23 days

期刊介绍： The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns. Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.