A Cost/Benefit Analysis of the University of Wisconsin - Marshfield/Wood County

Campus Recycling ProgramAn Environmental class Project

Daniel J. Burkhart, Todd Witt, Tyler Gruen, and Malcolm Gold mgold@smumn.edu

Outline of Class Project

• Choose a topic: Campus recycling

• Determine research question that can be answered within a semester with limited funding.

• Determine an appropriate Cost-Benefit Analysis plan

• Collect data and give recommendations

Campus Recycling Background

• Building and land is owned and maintained by the City of Marshfield and Wood County (UW M/WC Commission)

• City and State statues require recycling of comingled products and paper separately

• City has an existing contract with Veolia, which includes campus

Research Question

• What component of the recycling program is malleable?– Number and type of dumpsters– Campus receptacles– Campus awareness

• We chose to focus on campus receptacles

Campus Receptacles

• Attributes of interest– Count: the number of recycling containers on

campus (10, 20, 30)– Consistent: style and color among recycling

containers are consistent (0, 1)– Classroom: recycling containers are in each

classroom (0, 1)

Survey

• We utilized a dual-choice conjoint analysis

• Survey design– Choose one of three options– After the decision, determine whether the

preferred option is better than the current situation.

Survey

Survey Descriptive Statistics

Age N Percent

21 and under 95 63.76

22 and over 54 36.24

Total 149  

Affiliation N Percent

Current Student 126 84.56

Employee 13 8.72

Potential Student 10 6.71

Total 149

Conditional Logit Estimates

Variable Estimate Odds-Ratio p-value

Count -0.121 0.886 0.255

Student x Count Additional Effect 0.181 1.198 0.120

Consistent 1.636 5.136 0.000

Student x Consistent Additional Effect -0.667 0.513 0.009

Classroom 0.962 2.616 0.000

Student x Classroom Additional Effect -0.253 0.776 0.215

Price -0.127 0.881 0.030

Student x Price Additional Effect 0.260 1.296 0.000

Pseudo R2 0.204    

Number of Observations 5940    

Policy Recommendation

• Replace recycling containers so that they are consistent on campus.

– Average student benefit $7.31– Average student cost $3.12

– Entire Campus benefit $7,931– Entire Campus cost $1,950