Tracking the adoption of sustainable trash disposal practices: Evidence from Benin’s waste management amid urbanization

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates trash disposal practices among internal migrants in cities in Benin, a representative African country undergoing rapid urbanization. Compared to existing residents, Benin's new urban populations are less likely to dispose of trash sustainably, which is defined as trash disposal through formal collection services. Using Benin census data, this paper employs various linear and non-linear regression models to show that new urban residents experience “environmental assimilation” by progressively adopting the approach to trash disposal through formal collection services over time. In the long run, they may develop similar trash disposal practices compared to existing residents. Moreover, we use similar regression models to show that socioeconomic factors (e.g., education) are unlikely to account for their assimilation, and this assimilation pattern is mostly observed in larger cities, which have sufficient capacity for waste management. Small cities with rapidly growing populations show a significantly lower proportion of trash disposal through collection services among newly arrived migrants, as well as weak or no signs of their environmental assimilation over time.