Opposition to landfill and other waste management options is increasing in newly-industrialising countries. During the process of siting and managing landfill sites, attempts should be made to address concerns felt by residents living in the vicinity. Researchers based at the University of Birmingham compared the use of two analytical tools to aid decision-making on solid waste management options, namely the contingent valuation (CV) method and the dose-response approach.
Two CV surveys were conducted in the research in an attempt to quantify the drawbacks of living near a landfill site in Bangkok. The underlying assumption is that some impacts of economic activity - such as unpleasant smells and polluted water - are not taken into account in policy decisions because they do not have an explicit economic value. CV methods seek to put a monetary value on the opinions of local people about these environmental impacts. It does so by asking people for their willingness to pay for solutions to the problem. The impacts of economic activity such as landfill on local populations can also be assessed by establishing dose-response relationships. Dose-response approaches try to link a source of pollution (the 'dose') with the consequential environmental or health impact (the 'response'). The impacts can then be valued using available market prices, for instance by estimating the loss of economic productivity or the costs of health care due to sickness. Key findings of the research inc
- About two-thirds of the respondents were willing to pay for the nearby landfill site to be closed and for the waste to be taken elsewhere. Such a payment would be made through an increase in the waste collection fee, made to each household in Bangkok. They were willing to pay on average 40 to 70 baht (36 baht = GB£1 when the survey was conducted in 1995) more for waste collection per month. The fee level at that time was 4 baht per month, which was very low and contributed little to costs.
- Concern for health and the environment were common reasons for being willing to pay a higher waste collection fee. Around half of the respondents considered smell to be the most serious problem associated with the landfill site, followed by potential water pollution from the decomposing waste.
- CV surveys have hitherto rarely been used outside the industrialised countries of Europe and the USA. The research shows that CV surveys can be conducted in a newly industrialising country in a cost-effective way to provide useful information.
- Dose-response relationships were impossible to establish for the landfill site studied. There was insufficient information to gauge a relationship between the source of pollution and potential damage.
The main policy lessons arising from analysis of these findings were that:
- CV surveys can produce information of relevance to decision-makers. The survey suggested that the waste collection fee could be increased and indicated the level at which it might be set
- Consulting residents near waste management facilities provides greater understanding and helps to allay their concerns. CV provides a mechanism to quantify those concerns.
Source(s):
Blore, I. and F. Nunan (1996) "Living With Waste: Public Valuation of
Solid Waste Impacts in Bangkok", Papers in the Administration of Development
Number 57, Development Administration Group, School of Public Policy,
University of Birmingham
Funded by:
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), March 1994 -September 1995
id21 Research Highlight: 1998-Feb-24
Further Information:
F. Nunan & I. Blore
International Development Department
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK
Tel:
+44 (0) 121 414 4965
Fax:
+44 (0) 121 414 4989
Contact the contributor: f.s.nunan@bham.ac.uk
International Development Department, UK
