Abstract
In order to enforce sustainable waste management, it is crucial to grasp the actual cost impacts of waste collection, transportation, and disposal methods. In much of the literature analyzing waste management costs, the use of econometric analysis is not sufficient to understand each sector of waste collection, transport, intermediate disposal, and final disposal, nor to compare the differences between municipalities that independently conduct waste management and inter-municipalities that cooperate with other municipalities in them. This paper analyzes management costs for municipal solid waste, considering each sector of waste management and the differences between municipalities and inter-municipalities. The results of the study show that economies of scale are observed in all sectors of waste collection, transport, intermediate disposal, and final disposal. This was found particularly remarkable in intermediate disposal and final disposal. The paper also clarifies that the average cost of waste collection and transport is lower in inter-municipalities, and the economies of scale are larger in inter-municipalities than in municipalities that collect independently. In addition, it points out the possibility of reducing outsource costs as a means of reducing costs in inter-municipalities.
