Department of Economics and Management, University of Pisa, Via Ridolfi, 10, Pisa, Italy.
CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
Waste Manag. 2020 Dec;118:573-584. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.08.057. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
This paper assesses the performance of waste services in the region of Tuscany in Italy. It adopts non-parametric techniques for this purpose. Furthermore, it investigates the influence of the operational environment on the estimated performance by using the robust order-m technique. Meaningful levels of inefficiency were found in the Italian waste services. A specification of the ownership of the operator entrusted with waste management by municipalities and the formal adoption of the zero-waste strategy are included as environmental variables. The study concludes that the influence of the operational environment is a determinant of performance. The income per capita is negatively associated with efficiency, while population density is positively associated. Furthermore, efficiency levels are lower for municipalities with higher mixed waste per capita produced. Improving good pro-environmental behaviours is likely to improve efficiency and, thus, tariffs. The empirical results support the idea that it is necessary to make relevant organizational decisions that imply higher costs to increase the refuse collection rate. An increase in the separate collection rate beyond 50% is associated with the reduction of the efficiency level reached. Efficiency analysis does not consider the additional costs and the opportunities for municipalities to get revenues by selling them as secondary raw materials. Besides, the adoption of a zero-waste strategy is related to higher efficiency in MSW service provision. Finally, results about the ownership issue support the idea that privatization is not necessarily associated with the performance improvement of the waste services.
本文评估了意大利托斯卡纳地区的废物服务绩效。为此，它采用了非参数技术。此外，它还使用稳健的阶次 - m 技术研究了运营环境对估计绩效的影响。在意大利废物服务中发现了有意义的无效率水平。将运营商的所有权指定为市政当局委托的废物管理以及正式采用零废物战略作为环境变量。研究结论认为，运营环境的影响是绩效的决定因素。人均收入与效率呈负相关，而人口密度与效率呈正相关。此外，人均产生的混合废物越多，效率水平越低。提高良好的亲环境行为可能会提高效率，从而降低费率。实证结果支持这样一种观点，即有必要做出相关的组织决策，这意味着要提高垃圾收集率，就需要增加成本。将单独收集率提高到 50%以上与达到的效率水平降低有关。效率分析不考虑额外成本以及市政当局通过将其作为二次原材料出售而获得收入的机会。此外，采用零废物战略与提供城市固体废物服务的更高效率有关。最后，关于所有权问题的结果支持这样一种观点，即私有化不一定与废物服务的绩效改善相关。
