Identification and notion of organisational costs in local communal services. Case study: the agricultural sewage sludge spreading service

Abstract

This article analyzes the organization and the costs of the sewage sludge spreading service. Indeed, some costs bore by the sewage sludge mud producers were neglected up to now: assessment costs of spreading environmental impacts, planning and contracting costs (with farmers), miscoordination costs. From a survey carried out near 50 municipalities of the districts of Puy-de-Dome and Haute-Vienne, we show that the level of these organizational costs contributes to explain the choices of the municipalities. Lastly, we stress several policy instruments as well on a central as a local level.