Essays on Waste Generation

Abstract

This dissertation addresses key gaps in the literature on sustainability and waste management by investigating the complex interrelationships between waste generation, selective collection systems, and environmental behavior. Although the individual chapters focus on different aspects of the topic, together they form a coherent framework to better understand the mechanisms shaping sustainability processes. The first study examines the impact of the introduction of selective waste collection systems on total waste generation. Using a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DiD) approach, complemented by two-way fixed effects models and household survey data, it provides empirical evidence for the existence of the circular economy rebound effect. The analysis reveals that the bag-based curbside system had no significant effect on total or mixed waste, and although source-separated waste increased by nearly 60% following the implementation of the double-bin system, mixed waste did not decline. This suggests that improved infrastructure may increase recycling but not reduce overall waste. Furthermore, 59% of respondents agreed they would produce less waste if selective collection were unavailable, indicating that convenience can reinforce unsustainable consumption. The second study explores the broader effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on municipal waste generation using high-dimensional fixed effects panel regressions. Results show that stricter pandemic restrictions were associated with increases in both selective and non-selective waste. A one-point rise in the Stringency Index corresponds to a 0.098–0.106 kg annual per capita increase in mixed waste and a 0.016–0.017 kg increase in selective waste. Altogether, the 2020 average stringency level in Hungary is linked to approximately 6.4–6.89 kg of additional municipal waste per capita. These findings are supported by an excess-over-expected framework and placebo tests. The third study introduces a novel empirical design to investigate the behavioral effects of selective waste collection infrastructure under exogenous pressure. It applies a natural experimental framework that uses the COVID-19 pandemic as an external shock, allowing for causal inference regarding the performance of curbside double-bin systems. The analysis introduces and tests a new theoretical concept, the Perceived Disposal Ease Bias, which posits that the convenience of disposal infrastructure can unintentionally lead to increased total waste generation. Using a difference-in-differences framework within a two-way fixed effects regression model, the study isolates the effect of selective infrastructure by interacting its presence with the COVID-19 period. Empirical findings indicate that municipalities equipped with curbside bins generated on average 11.76 kg more selectively collected waste per capita annually during the pandemic than those without such infrastructure, while no statistically significant reduction was observed in mixed waste volumes. The results demonstrate that infrastructure alone may unintentionally reinforce unsustainable behavioral responses unless complemented by awareness campaigns or regulatory interventions. Finally, the fourth study analyzes the relationship between political orientation and environmental behavior in Budapest. Using administrative data and district-level panel models, the study finds a negative and statistically significant relationship between selective waste collection and left-wing vote share, indicating stronger pro-environmental behavior in right-leaning districts. This effect is more pronounced in municipal than European Parliament elections, and is moderated by social monitoring factors. The results challenge the assumption that left-wing ideology is inherently more environmentally conscious, and suggest that in post-communist contexts, social norms and historical legacies may better explain patterns of environmental engagement. The dissertation offers new insights into how infrastructure, external shocks, and political attitudes influence sustainability, emphasizing that waste management is not merely a technical issue, but a socially and behaviorally embedded phenomenon.