MIDNIGHT DUMPING - PUBLIC POLICIES AND ILLEGAL DISPOSAL OF USED OIL

Many public policies for hazardous waste raise the costs of legal disp osal. Concerned about substitution of illegal disposal, economists hav e instead recommended policies that reward desirable waste management alternatives, :This article studies the empirical determinants of ille gal disposal as reported to the U.S. Emergency Response Notification S ystem (ERNS). It analyzes the frequency of used oil dumping using coun t-data models. The results suggest that dumping is sensitive to the co st of legal waste management options, including disposal and reuse, an d to the threat of enforcement. In particular, state policies that res trict legal disposal cause substantial substitution of illegal dumping .