Economic valuation of the pollution effects of dumping municipal solid waste. The case of the urban agglomeration of Gran Mendoza, Argentina

Most municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in Latin America lack the infrastructure for proper pollution control. This paper estimates the social welfare effects of possible environmental impacts of waste landfills. The discrete choice experiment was applied to elicit social values for the effects of MSW dumping on water quality, air quality and proliferation of vectors in the agglomeration of Gran Mendoza (Argentina). A decrease in water quality –the impact of MSW dumping that the population is most concerned about– was estimated to cost each household 182.49 Argentinean pesos (United States Dollar 20.48) on average per year in terms of welfare loss (2015 value). This information may be useful for policy makers and environmental managers in the design of their programs and activities. CC BY-NC-SA Gestión y Ambiente (2016).