Optimising recycling effort: an evaluation of local authority PCW recycling initiatives

Pressure to divert post-consumer waste (PCW) from landfill has focused on recycling and, to a lesser extent, incineration with energy recovery. Waste collection authorities (WCAs) seeking to minimize costs have favoured the use of centralized rather than localized recycling options. This paper compares the environmental burdens associated with various collection options for recyclables. It shows that, whilst kerbside collection offers considerable environmental advantages over bring/drop-off schemes, using the more localized options within the bring/drop-off category leads to significant environmental benefits. By contrast, the costs incurred by WCAs in establishing and running recycling schemes tend to increase the more localized the facilities. It concludes that additional financial incentives have to be introduced to facilitate the move towards more localized environmentally benign recycling schemes.