What Drives Organic Waste Diversion? A Multilevel Analysis of Residential Collection Policies

Municipal organic waste programs play an important role in reducing landfill demand and methane emissions, but their performance varies across urban contexts. This study examines the relationship between residential waste collection policy implementation and organic waste collection in the Agglomeration of Montréal between 2012 and 2024. We use data for 33 administrative units and use multilevel models with random intercepts, predicting the total organic waste collection and capture rates, while accounting for socio-demographic characteristics and housing typologies. The results show that organic waste policies targeting single-family and small multi-unit buildings are positively associated with higher total organic waste collection and capture rates, while policies for larger multi-unit buildings show no statistically significant associations. The bi-weekly garbage collection policy is positively associated with higher rates for both outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of organic waste collection policies while suggesting that these policies are strengthened by bi-weekly garbage collection.