Supported by a $370,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation, faculty members at Colorado School of Mines’ Division of Economics and Business are investigating the impact of public policy on solid waste recycling in the United States. The study is being designed by the Golden, Colo.-based university division to examine how increased recycling can both reduce municipal waste volume and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Colorado School of Mines’ Division of Economics and Business Director Rod Eggert and professors Dan Kaffine and John Tilton are examining several methods for increasing recycling — including deposit-refund systems, pay-as-you-throw policies, and extended producer responsibility — and assessing their relative cost-effectiveness. Their goal is to identify the specific environmental and economic benefits that derive from greater recycling to inform public and private decision-making about solid waste disposal and carbon management.