Evaluating the Impact of a Unit-based Pricing Policy in Akita City using SCM and SDID Estimates

Abstract

This study examines the impact of a household waste fee policy for general waste which has been implemented in Akita City since July 2012. Results of the SDID (Synthetic Difference-in-differences) alone confirmed that the introduction of this fee-based waste management policy reduced per-capita waste emissions by approximately 35 kg. This is equivalent to a reduction of approximately 12.4 %, suggesting the effectiveness of Akita City’s policy of charging for household waste.  Furthermore, it was also shown that implementation of this policy reduced household waste emissions by approximately 4.3 g per each 1 yen owed on waste fees in Akita City.