The Social Benefits of Better-practice Waste Management for Multi-unit Dwellings in Penrith LGA: Final Report

New multi-unit dwellings in the Penrith Local Government Area are required to meet waste-management standards that ensure integration with Penrith City Council’s existing waste-management service. However, many new developments do not meet these standards and impose costs on the Council and the community. The costs imposed on Council include increased waste-management contract costs and the increased costs associated with complaints and complaint resolution. The community incurs costs indirectly through these costs to Council and directly due to the loss of amenity, where ‘amenity’ refers to the desirable, useful, attractive or pleasant features of a building or place. The researchers were commissioned by Penrith City Council to perform a study on the social benefits of improved waste-management practice and provide suggestions for policy and processes that improve social wellbeing. The specific aims of the research are as follows: ”¢ Establish the impacts of non-complying developments on amenity. ”¢ Categorise the costs of non-complying developments using non-market valuation principles in economic theory. ”¢ Using benefit-transfer methodology, establish the social cost of dis-amenity created by non-complying developments or the social benefits of improved practice. ”¢ Establish the increased cost to Council from non-complying developments. ”¢ Make recommendations on achieving compliance and improving waste-management standards for new multi-unit dwellings.