Municipal solid waste recycling effect on the environment quality in France: Evidence through the ARDL approach

Abstract

Abstract Waste is a serious problem threatening citizens and causing a serious danger to living beings and climate change. Part of the circular economy, recycling emerges as the magical solution to the problem of waste and an instrument that aims to achieve sustainable growth and environmental protection. In this context, our study examined the effect of different factors such as municipal solid waste to the environment quality in extended STIRPAT model. Relying on the ARDL approach over the 1990–2018 period in France, our empirical analysis showed the existence of a short-term inverse and significant relationship between the quantity of municipal solid waste recycling per capita and CO2 emissions. In other words, a 1% increase in municipal solid waste recycling helps reduce CO2 emissions by 0.24. However, a long term significant positive relationship between the quantity of the recycled municipal solid waste per capita and CO2 emissions has been proven. Our results also showed that population increase negatively influences the environment quality over the long term. Besides, energy efficiency and income per capita have a positive but non-significant long-term impact. This shows that energy consumption and economic growth degrade the environment. Over the short term, however, these two factors have a negative influence on energy efficiency and change sign for the income per capita. Such results allow us to draw some policy implications where renewable energy could be an alternative to reduce CO2 emissions resulting even from the recycling process. Politicians have to be aware of the advantageous resources of the green economy.