Trash collection efficiency and consumer knowledge: municipal trash collection in Manhattan, Kansas

Abstract

The provision of services in a community is often taken for granted, or done the way things have always been done. It is sensible to examine those practices to see if the system in place is advantageous to all parties involved. This paper examines the forms of municipal trash collection used in the United States and specifically Manhattan, Kansas. This examination includes a literature review of forms of solid waste collection and how informed vs. uninformed consumers act when purchasing goods and services. The specific traits of seven municipal trash service providers in Manhattan are analyzed. The findings of this project include a spread in prices that economic theory alone may not explain. These finding, supported by literature, would suggest that there is a breakdown in the transfer of information between service providers and consumers.