Refuse Collection in Spain: Privatization, Intermunicipal Cooperation, and Concentration

Germà Bel

Chapter Chapter 6 in The Waste Market, 2008, pp 83-100 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter analyzes the structure and dynamics of the refuse collection service in Spain. For this purpose, a database is obtained by means of the II Survey on Local Public Services Delivery. First, results are presented concerning the structure of the refuse collection service. The analysis shows that private production is widely extended in Spain, and hybrid organizational forms such as mixed public-private firms (mixed firms henceforth) have a relevant role. Besides, almost half of the municipalities with population above 2,000 deliver refuse collection through intermunicipal cooperation. Cooperation is more frequent among small municipalities, which indicates that it is used as a formula to take advantage of scale economies. In addition, intermunicipal cooperation is more frequent in municipalities that retain public production, and this suggests that it is being used as an alternative to privatization as well. Finally, concentration is analyzed in the private market for refuse collection, and the analysis shows high degrees of market concentration. Concentration is even more intense at the regional level, and this could pose important obstacles to the competition for the contract.

Keywords: Privatization; cooperation; concentration; collection; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-1-4020-8711-0_6

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DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-8711-0_6

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