CUR - The Council on Undergraduate Research

Tourism Density and Recycling Rates: The Effect of Local Economy Composition on Recycling Outcomes

Richard Calvo and Dr. Hossein Abbasi, Department of Economics, University of Maryland, 7343 Preinkert Dr., College Park MD 20742

This paper examines the potential relationship between tourism density and recycling outcomes by analyzing county-level panel data from Florida counties covering the period from 2001-2018. Authors have defined multiple determinants of recycling behavior and how these behaviors are affected by abnormal circumstances such as tourism. Unlike previous studies, this paper examines aggregate effects of tourism on recycling outcomes, measured by county recycling rates, rather than individual changes. Two hypotheses are proposed: (1) If a county has a higher tourism density, then that county will have a higher recycling rate, on average, than counties with lower tourism density (2) The effectiveness of Florida’s statewide recycling goals varies by tourism density and is more effective in low-density counties. Auto-regressive models are produced using fixed effect estimators and controlling for other key industries. Results indicate that, despite the behavioral trends outlined in the literature, there is a positive and significant relationship between the tourism indicator and recycling rates. Additionally, the tourism indicator interacted positively and significantly with Florida’s statewide recycling goal. While behavioral differences may exist between tourists and residents, the impact of these behavioral changes appears to be compensated for by local policies and tourism industry recycling practices.

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