The Economics of Waste.

• Position: BOOKS RECEIVED

Richard C. Porter. 1616 P Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036-1400: RFF Press, June 2002. (202) 328-5086. www.rffpress.org. ISBN 1-891853-43-0. 301 pp. $27.95 Paperback.

In The Economies of Waste, Richard Porter introduces readers to the economic tools that can be applied to problems involved in handling a diverse range of waste products from businesses and households. Emphasizing the impossibility of achieving a zero-risk environment, Porter focuses on the choices that apply in real world decisions about waste. Acknowledging that effective waste policy integrates knowledge from several disciplines, he focuses on the use of economic analysis to reveal the costs of different policies and therefore how much can be done to meet goals to protect human health and the environment. With abundant examples, he considers subjects such as landfills, incineration, and illegal disposal. He discusses the...