Italian waste in the circular economy: A agenda for industry regulators in Italy

Titolo Rivista ECONOMIA PUBBLICA
Autori/Curatori Antonio Massarutto
Anno di pubblicazione 2019 Fascicolo 2019/1 Lingua Inglese
Numero pagine 40 P. 9-48 Dimensione file 353 KB
DOI 10.3280/EP2019-001002
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Qui sotto puoi vedere in anteprima la prima pagina di questo articolo.

Se questo articolo ti interessa, lo puoi acquistare (e scaricare in formato pdf) seguendo le facili indicazioni per acquistare il download credit. Acquista Download Credits per scaricare questo Articolo in formato PDF

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

The advent of the circular economy paradigm has definitively changed the economic nature of municipal waste management and calling for an innovative approach for its economic regulation. This paper discusses how the general framework of the theory of economic regulation of services of general economic interest can fit the MWM industry. We show that this industry exhibits specificities that require an adaptation of regulatory principles, but nonetheless cross-fertilization from the regulatory practice of other utilities is feasible. However, the recognition made shows that the applied economic research on this sector is still in its infant phase, and substantial improvements are needed in order both to understand its mechanisms from a theoretical viewpoint and to provide empirical evidence. Different from other utilities, physical network assets are less dominant and competition opportunities are larger; however, the main constraint to widespread opening of the market descends from contingent reasons determining de-facto market power, and from the superior value of service reliability and contrast to illegal operation.

Keywords:Circular economy-recycling, waste management

Jel codes:Q5

  1. Rodrigues R.T., Gomes M.I. & Barbosa-Póvoa A.P. (2014). Assessing and improving management practices when planning packaging waste collection system. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 116-29.
  2. Reeves E., Barrow M. (2000). The impact of contracting-out on the costs of refuse
  3. collection services. The case of Ireland. Economic and Social Review, 31(2): 129-50.
  4. Rogge N., De Jaeger S. (2012). Evaluating the efficiency of municipalities in collecting and processing municipal solid waste: a shared input DEA-model. Waste Management, 32(10): 1968-78.
  5. Rogge N. De Jaeger S. (2013). Measuring and explaining the cost efficiency of municipal solid waste collection and processing services. Omega, 41(4): 653-64. Sharp L., Luckin D. (2006). The community waste sector and waste services in the UK: current state and future prospects. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 47(3), 277- 94.
  6. Simoes P., Marques R.C. (2011). How does the operational environment affect util- ity performance? A parametric study on the waste sector. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 55: 695-702.
  7. Simoes P., Marques R.C. (2012). On the economic performance of the waste sector: a literature review. Journal of Environmental Management, 106: 40-47.
  8. Stevens B.J. (1978). Scale, market structure, and the cost of refuse collection. Review of Economics and Statistics, 60(3): 438-48.
  9. Szymanski S., Wilkins S. (1993). Cheap rubbish? Competitive tendering and contracting out in refuse collection. Fiscal Studies, 14(3): 109-30.
  10. Szymanski S. (1996). The impact of compulsory competitive tendering on refuse collection services. Fiscal Studies, 17(3): 1-19.
  11. Tickner G., McDavid J.C. (1986). Effects of scale and market structure on the costs of residential solid waste collection n Canadian cities. Public Finance Quarterly, 14(4): 371-93.
  12. Torretta V., Ragazzi M., Istrate I.A. & Rada E.C. (2013). Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in two EU countries: a comparison. Waste Management, 33(1): 117-22.
  13. Warner M., Bel G. (2008). Competition or monopoly? Comparing privatization of local public services in the US and Spain. Public Administration, 86(3): 723-35.
  14. Webster K. (2016). The circular economy. The wealth of flows. Ellen McArthur Foundation Publishing. Isle of Wight, UK: Cowes.
  15. World Bank (2008). Improving Municipal Solid Waste Management in India: A Sourcebook for Policy Makers and Practitioners. Washington (DC).
  16. Ylä-Mella J., Poikela k., Lehtinen U., Keiski R.L. & Pongrácz E. (2014). Implementation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive in Finland: Eval- uation of the collection network and challenges of the effective WEEE manage- ment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 86: 38-46.
  17. Favot M., Massarutto A. (2019). Rare-earth materials in the circular economy: the case of yttrium. Journal of Environmental Management (in press).
  18. AGCM (Autorità garante della concorrenza e del mercato) (2008). Indagine conoscitiva riguardante il settore dei rifiuti da imballaggio, IC26. -- http://www.agcm.it/indagini-conoscitivedb/open/C12564CE0049D161/2EF46FF24C4A2A64C12574A500347046.html.
  19. AGCM (Autorità garante della concorrenza e del mercato) (2016). Indagine conoscitiva sul mercato dei rifiuti urbani, IC49. -- http://www.agcm.it/stampa/comunicati/8074-ic49-indagine-conoscitiva-sul-mercato-dei-rifiuti-urbani-meno- discariche-pi%C3%B9-raccolta-differenziata.html.
  20. Allers M.A., De Greef J.A. (2018). Intermunicipal cooperation, public spending and service levels. Local Government Studies, 44(1): 127-50.
  21. ARERA (2018). Corrispettivi del servizio integrato di gestione dei RU. DCO 713-18. -- www.arera.it.
  22. Arthur D. Little (2017). Output-based regulation: fields of innovations for energy grid operators. -- http://www.adlittle.com/sites/default/files/viewpoints/adl_
  23. fields_of_innovation_for_energy-grid_operators.pdf.
  24. Ascari S., Di Marzio T. & Massarutto A. (2002). L’igiene urbana. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  25. Batlle C., Perez-Arriaga I. (2008). Design criteria for implementing a capacity mech- anism in deregulated electricity markets. Utilities Policy, 16: 184-93.
  26. Beccarello M., Di Foggia G. (2017). Il servizio di gestione della raccolta e smalti- mento dei rifiuti urbani in Italia: valutazioni di efficienza e proposte di regola- mentazione. L’Industria, 38(3): 341-364.
  27. Bel G., Costas A. (2006). Do public sector reforms get rusty? Local privatization in Spain. Journal of Policy Reform, 9(1): 1-24.
  28. Bel G., Hebdon R. & Warner M. (2007). Local government reform privatization and its alternatives. Local Government Studies, 33(4): 507-15.
  29. Bel G., Mur M. (2009). Intermunicipal cooperation, privatization and waste man- agement costs: evidence from rural municipalities. Waste Management, 29(10): 2772-8.
  30. Bel G., Warner M. (2008). Does privatization of solid waste and water services re- duce costs? A review of empirical studies. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 52(12): 1337-48.
  31. Bel G. (2008). Refuse Collection in Spain: Privatization, Intermunicipal Cooperation and concentration. In: Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R.H.J.M., eds, The Waste Market. Munich: Springer.
  32. Bel G., Fageda X. (2010). Empirical analysis of solid management waste costs: Some evidence from Galicia, Spain. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54(3): 187-93.
  33. Bel G., Gradus R. (2018). Privatisation, contracting-out and inter-municipal cooper- ation: new developments in local public service delivery. Local Government Studies, 44(1): 11-21.
  34. Bel G., Miralles A. (2003). Factors influencing privatization of urban solid waste collection in Spain. Urban Studies, 40(7): 1323-34.
  35. Bertossi P., Kaulard A. & Massarutto A. (2000). Municipal waste management in Italy. In: Buclet N. e Godard O., a cura di, Municipal waste management in Eu- rope: a comparative study in building regimes. Amsterdam: Kluwer.
  36. Biagi F., Massarutto A. (2002). Efficienza e regolamentazione nei servizi pubblici locali: il caso dell’igiene urbana. Economia Pubblica, 2: 79-116.
  37. Bisaillon M., Sahlin J., Ekvall T. & Sundberg J. (2005). Driving forces for import of waste for energy recovery in Sweden. Waste Management and Research, 23(1): 3-12.
  38. Boulding K. (1966). The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth. In: Jarrett H., ed, Environmental Quality in a Growing Economy: 3-14.
  39. Calaf-Forn M., Roca J. & Ventosa I. (2014). Cap and trade schemes on waste man- agement: a case study of the landfill allowance trading scheme (LATS). England. Waste Management, 34(5): 919-28.
  40. Callan S.J., Thomas J. (2001). Economies of scale and scope: a cost analysis of mu- nicipal solid waste services. Land Economics, 77(4): 548-60.
  41. Carvalho P., Marques R.C. & Dollery B. (2015). Is bigger better? An empirical anal- ysis of waste management in New South Wales. Waste Management, 39: 277-86.
  42. Carvalho P., Marques R.C. (2014). Economies of size and density in municipal solid waste recycling in Portugal. Waste Management, 34(1): 12-20.
  43. Collins J.N., Downes B.T. (1977). The effect of size on provision of public services The case of solid waste collection in smaller cities. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 12(3): 333-47.
  44. Decker C. (2015). Modern economic regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  45. Di Foggia G., Beccarello M. (2018). Improving efficiency in the MSW collection and disposal service combining price cap and yardstick regulation: The Italian case. Waste Management, 79: 223-231.
  46. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R. (2007). Collusion in the Dutch waste collection market. Local Government Studies, 33(4): 573-88.
  47. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R.H.J.M. (2003). Cost savings of contracting out refuse collec- tion. Empirica, 30(2): 149-61.
  48. Dijkgraaf E, Gradus R.H.J.M. (2008) Institutional developments in the Dutch waste collection market. Government & Policy, 26(1): 110-26.
  49. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R.H.J.M. (2004). Cost savings of unit-based pricing of house-hold waste. The case of the Netherlands. Resource and Energy Economics, 26(4): 353-71.
  50. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R., eds. (2008). The Waste Market. Institutional Developments in Europe. Munich: Springer.
  51. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R. (2007). Fair competition in the refuse collection market?. Applied Economic Letters, 14/10: 701-4.
  52. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R. (2008a). Institutional developments in the Dutch waste col- lection market. Environment and Planning C, Government and Policy, 26(1): 110-26.
  53. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R. & Schoute M. (2016). Is there still collusion in the Dutch waste collection market?. Local Government Studies.
  54. Dijkgraaf E., Gradus R. & Schoute M. (2018). The effects of market concentration on costs of local public services: empirical evidence from Dutch waste collec- tion. Local Government Studies.
  55. Domberger S., Meadowcroft S.A. & Thompson D.J. (1986). Competitive tendering and efficiency: the case of refuse collection. Fiscal Studies, 7(4): 69-87.
  56. Dubin J.A., Navarro P. (1988). How markets for impure public goods organize the case of household refuse collection. Journal of Law Economics & Organization, 4(2): 217-41.
  57. ETC/WMGE (European Topic Center on Waste and Materials in a Green Economy) (2017). Assessment of waste incineration capacity and waste shipments in Europe, prepared for the European Environmental Agency.
  58. European Commission DG Competition (2016). Study of financing models for public services in the EU and their impact on competition. -- http://ec.europa.eu/competition/publications/reports/kd021641enn.pdf
  59. Farmer T.D., Shaw P.J. & Williams I.D. (2015). Destined for indecision? A critical analysis of waste management practices in England from 1996 to 2013. Waste Management, 39: 266-76.
  60. Favot M. (2014). Extended producer responsibility and e-waste management: do in- stitutions matter?. Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment, Vol 1.
  61. Favot M., Massarutto A. & Veit R. (2016). The evolution of the Italian management system for WEEE: Technical and economic performance in the spotlight. Waste Management, 56: 431-37.
  62. Favot M., Massarutto A. & Veit R. (2018). The ratio of EPR compliance schemes on sales revenues of electric and electronic equipment in Italy. A circular eco- nomy perspective. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 135: 34-37.
  63. Ferrão P., Ribeiro P., Rodrigues J., Marques A., Preto M., Amaral M., Domingos T., Lopes A. & Costa I. (2014). Environmental, economic and social costs and ben- efits of a packaging waste management system: A Portuguese case study. Resou- rces, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 67-78.
  64. Ferreira da Cruz N., Ferreira M., Cabral M., Simões P. & Marques R.C. (2014). Packaging waste recycling in Europe: Is the industry paying for it?. Waste Management, 34(2): 298-308.
  65. Ferreira da Cruz N., Simões P. & Marques R.C. (2012). Economic cost recovery in the recycling of packaging waste: the case of Portugal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 37: 8-18.
  66. Ferreira da Cruz, N., Simões P. & Marques R.C. (2014). Costs and benefits of pack- aging waste recycling systems. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 1-4.
  67. Glachant M., Saguan M., Rious V. & Douguet S. (2013). Incentives for investments: Comparing EU electricity TSO regulatory regimes. Research Report: Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute. -- http://publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/b17d95f8-1d4e-4bf1-a79b-0ae2361f8a26.0001.02/DOC_1.
  68. Gómez-Lobo A., Szymanski S. (2001). A law of large numbers. Bidding and compulsory tendering for refuse collection contracts. Review of Industrial Organiza- tion, 18(1): 105-13.
  69. Grant R., Oteng-Ababio M. (2013). Mapping the invisible and real African economy: urban e-waste circuitry. Urban Geography, 33(1): 1-21.
  70. Greco G., Allegrini M., Del Lungo C., Gori Savellini P. & Gabellini L. (2015). Driv- ers of solid waste collection costs. Empirical evidence from Italy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106: 364-71.
  71. Green R. (2003). Electricity markets: challenges for economic research.
  72. Guerrini A., Carvalho P., Romano G., Marques R.C. & Leardini C. (2017). Assessing efficiency drivers in municipal waste collection services through a non- parametric method. Journal of Cleaner Production, 147: 431-41.
  73. Hirsch W.Z. (1965). Cost functions of an urban government service: refuse collection. Review of Economics and Statistics, 47(1): 87-92.
  74. Hodge G. (2000). Privatization. An International Review of Performance. Boulder: Westview Press.
  75. Jacobsen R., Buysse J. & Gellynck X. (2013) Cost comparison between private and public collection of residual household waste: multiple case studies in the Flemish region of Belgium. Waste Management, 33(1): 3-11.
  76. Jaeger S., Rogge N. (2014). Cost-efficiency in packaging waste management: The case of Belgium. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 106-15.
  77. Joskow P. (2008). Capacity payments in imperfect electricity markets: Need and de sign. Utilities Policy, 16: 159-70.
  78. Kemper P., Quigley J. (1976). The Economics of Refuse Collection. Cambridge: Ballinger.
  79. Kienapfel P., Miersch G. (2006). Competition issues in waste management systems. Competition Policy Newsletter ,1: 52-6.
  80. Kinnaman T.C. (2014). Determining the socially optimal recycling rate. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 5-10.
  81. Kitchen H.M. (1976). A statistical estimation of an operating cost function for municipal refuse collection. Public Finance Quarterly, 4(1): 56-76.
  82. Kørnøv L., Hill A.L., Busck O. (2016). Liberalization in the Danish waste sector: an institutional perspective. Waste Management & Research, 34(12): 1201-09.
  83. Mariësse A.E. van Sluisveld, Worrell E. (2013). The paradox of packaging optimi- zation - a characterization of packaging source reduction in the Netherlands. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 73: 133-42.
  84. Marques R.C., Simões P. (2008). Does the sunshine regulatory approach work? Gov- ernance and regulation model of the urban waste services in Portugal. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 52 (8-9): 1040-9.
  85. Marques R.C., Simões P. (2009). Incentive regulation and performance measure- ment of the Portuguese solid waste management services. Waste Management and Research.
  86. Marques R.C., Simões P. & Silvia Pinto F. (2018). Tariff regulation in the waste sector: an unavoidable future. Waste Management, 78: 292-300.
  87. Marques, R.C., Ferreira da Cruz N., Carvalho P. (2012). Assessing and exploring (in)efficiency in Portuguese recycling systems using non-parametric methods. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 67: 34-43.
  88. Massarutto A. (2007). Municipal waste management as a local utility. Options for competition in an environmentally-regulated industry. Utilities Policy, 15: 9-19. Massarutto A. (2014). The long and winding road to resource efficiency: an interdisciplinary perspective on extended producer responsibility. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85: 11-21.
  89. Massarutto A., Antonioli B. (2012). The municipal waste management sector in Eu- rope: shifting boundaries between public service and the market. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 83(4): 505-32.
  90. Medina M. (2008). The informal recycling sector in developing countries: Organiz- ing waste pickers to enhance their impact. Washington: PPIAF C7o World Bank.
  91. NCA (Nordic Competition Authorities) (2016). Competition in the Waste Manage- ment Sector. Preparing for the Circular Economy, -- http://www.konkurrensverket.se/globalassets/publikationer/nordiska/nordic-report-2016_waste-manage-
  92. ment-sector.pdf-
  93. OECD (2007). Improving Recycling Markets. Policy Brief.
  94. OECD (2014). Policy Rountable on Waste Management Services. -- www.oecd.org.
  95. Ohlsson H. (2003). Ownership and production costs. Choosing between public pro- duction and contracting-out in the case of Swedish refuse collection. Fiscal Stud-ies, 24(4): 451-76.
  96. Oxera (2016). Cost assessment in a regulatory context, WAREG meeting. Horta, Faial Island, June 2016. -- file:///C:/Users/Massarutto/Downloads/WAREG_presentation_Oxera_seminar_020616.pdf.
  97. Pavel J., Slavik J. (2017). The relationship between competition and efficiency of waste collection services in the Czech Republic. Local Government Studies, 44(2): 275-96.
  98. Pérez-López G., Prior D., Zafra-Gómez J.L. & Plata-Díaz A.M. (2016). Cost effi- ciency in municipal solid waste service delivery. Alternative management forms in relation to local population size. European Journal of Operational Research, 255(2): 583-92.
  99. Pommerehne W.W., Frey B. (1977). Public versus private production efficiency in Switzerland: a theoretical and empirical comparison. In: Ostrom V., Pendell R.B., eds., Comparing urban service delivery systems. Urban affairs annual re- view, 12: 221-41.
  100. Pöyry (2017). An overview of the RIIO framework, Report to AEEGSI. -- https://www.autorita.energia.it/allegati/docs/17/683-17all.pdf

  • A new framework for policy evaluation: Targets, marine litter, Italy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Piero Morseletto, in Marine Policy 103956/2020 pp.103956
    DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103956
  • Economic regulation of waste management utilities: Taking stock of the Italian reform Antonio Massarutto, in ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2/2021 pp.5
    DOI: 10.3280/EFE2020-002001
  • Monetary evaluation in LCA of WM: Everything engineers always wanted to know about it (but were afraid to ask) Antonio Massarutto, in Waste Management /2024 pp.12
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.02.018
  • Regulation and competition in the extended producer responsibility models: Results in the WEEE sector in Europe Marinella Favot, Luca Grassetti, Antonio Massarutto, Raphael Veit, in Waste Management /2022 pp.60
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.04.027

Antonio Massarutto, Italian waste in the circular economy: A agenda for industry regulators in Italy in "ECONOMIA PUBBLICA " 1/2019, pp 9-48, DOI: 10.3280/EP2019-001002