Economic incentive in enhancing community waste separation and collection: A panel data analysis in China

Abstract

While incentive mechanisms have been proven to motivate residents to separate their waste, empirical research is still needed to determine whether this separation behaviour could be maintained over time. The main objective of this paper is to investigate waste separation management activities in the city of Dongying, China, as a case study to clarify how local community citizens’ waste separation participation and recycling activities change over time cross-sectionally under the influence of an economic incentive mechanism – PS. This study used least square dummy variable analysis to investigate local waste separation behaviour in 98 communities over 22 months. Results showed that community resident waste participation and recycling behaviour tend to grow in the early stages and gradually show saturation without growth in the middle and late stages. This result implies limitations to the incentive mechanism, such that it could only motivate a part of residents to participate in waste separation; for those unaffected by financial incentives, it was suggested that educational or compulsory means be used to make them separate their waste.