Title: Willingness to pay for improved solid waste management: a case study of Srinagar Municipal Corporation

Authors: Jasmeena Bashir; Mohammad Younus Bhat; Md. Sarfaraz Equbal

Addresses: Department of Economics, University of Kashmir, Hazaratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India ' Department of Economics and International Business, School of Business, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun-248007, India ' Department of Economics, University of Kashmir, Hazaratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to estimate the willingness to pay for solid waste management (SWM) improvement in Srinagar. Further to find the effect of socio-economic determinants on willingness to pay of the residents. The present study is an endeavour to discuss the demand side issues which will be important for policy makers to design appropriate waste management service given the preference of residents. To accomplish the objectives of the present study and for testing the hypotheses a contingent valuation (CV) study was designed and executed by randomly selected households in the study area. The logistic regression model results revealed that 90.6% of the total respondents are willing to pay for better solid waste management service. The mean willingness to pay of the respondents in Srinagar is Rs. 162.72 per month. Willingness to pay is significantly affected by socio-economic variables like income, education, gender, position of the respondent, and households receiving collection service. This information can specifically help in providing better solid waste management services to the residents of Srinagar and in general is also helpful in improving the quality of environment.

Keywords: solid waste management; SWM; contingent valuation method; CVM; logistic regression model; willingness to pay; WTP; Srinagar Municipal Corporation; SMC.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2024.140970

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2024 Vol.35 No.1, pp.39 - 54

Received: 10 Dec 2020
Accepted: 12 Apr 2022
Published online: 05 Sep 2024 *

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