The Economic Benefit of Recycling: An Application of Travel Cost Method to Estimate the Consumer Surplus

Abstract This article presents the first analysis in the literature that measures the economic benefit of drop-off recycling in terms of consumer surplus (CS). CS, a measure of the economic benefit that consumers receive from participating in economic activities, is estimated using a single-site travel cost method application based on survey data. Our findings indicate that the total CS residents of Monongalia County receive from drop-off recycling is $1,317,960 annually.