University of Isfahan Urban Economics 2588-4867 10 2 2025 09 23 Estimating the economic value of waste source separation and its role in household microeconomics (Case study: Talesh city) Estimating the economic value of waste source separation and its role in household microeconomics (Case study: Talesh city) 19 34 29634 10.22108/ue.2025.144886.1313 FA Shamaiel Taghizadeh Department of Environmental science and engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Iran Babak Tavakoli Department of Environmental science and engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Iran Javad Torkaman Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Iran Mehdi Aalipour Department of Environmental science and engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 04 10 Population growth and urbanization, and consequently the increase in solid waste production and its release into the environment, are one of the most important challenges facing human society. Management and planning of urban solid waste will not be possible without sufficient and reliable information about the waste generation rate and its physical components. The reuse and recycling of solid waste are among the most pressing environmental issues due to the high costs associated with collecting and disposing of urban waste in landfills. Source separation can significantly reduce disposal costs and increase household income. The present study was conducted to investigate the quantity of generated waste in Talesh City and estimate the economic value of source separation in 2022-2023, which was undertaken randomly in 30 households. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data. ANOVA test was used to compare groups. The results showed that the percentage of household waste components is as follows: plastic 42%, paper and cardboard 33%, metals 10%, and glass 15%. The annual per capita waste was 6.796 kg in Talesh City. The income from the sale of waste showed that there was no significant difference between the per capita production of waste and the income from the sale in different seasons (p>0.05). The findings of this study show that 575.781 kg of waste was collected from 30 households in a source separation plan during one year, and the income from the sale of this amount of waste was 5,858,780 Tomans. In addition, based on this study, it was determined that the source separation and recycling policy is the most appropriate economic solution for managing the significant volume of recyclable production materials in this city and can create job opportunities. This study emphasizes that, given the importance of waste separation in preserving natural resources and reducing financial pressure on municipalities, it is essential to pay attention to this process as an effective strategy for waste management in Iranian cities. Population growth and urbanization, and consequently the increase in solid waste production and its release into the environment, are one of the most important challenges facing human society. Management and planning of urban solid waste will not be possible without sufficient and reliable information about the waste generation rate and its physical components. The reuse and recycling of solid waste are among the most pressing environmental issues due to the high costs associated with collecting and disposing of urban waste in landfills. Source separation can significantly reduce disposal costs and increase household income. The present study was conducted to investigate the quantity of generated waste in Talesh City and estimate the economic value of source separation in 2022-2023, which was undertaken randomly in 30 households. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data. ANOVA test was used to compare groups. The results showed that the percentage of household waste components is as follows: plastic 42%, paper and cardboard 33%, metals 10%, and glass 15%. The annual per capita waste was 6.796 kg in Talesh City. The income from the sale of waste showed that there was no significant difference between the per capita production of waste and the income from the sale in different seasons (p>0.05). The findings of this study show that 575.781 kg of waste was collected from 30 households in a source separation plan during one year, and the income from the sale of this amount of waste was 5,858,780 Tomans. In addition, based on this study, it was determined that the source separation and recycling policy is the most appropriate economic solution for managing the significant volume of recyclable production materials in this city and can create job opportunities. This study emphasizes that, given the importance of waste separation in preserving natural resources and reducing financial pressure on municipalities, it is essential to pay attention to this process as an effective strategy for waste management in Iranian cities. https://ue.ui.ac.ir/article_29634_6f45317f5801fbdd7acc0665213b32ba.pdf