HOUSEHOLDS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES IN LOC NINH COMMUNE, DONG HOI CITY

The willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental sanitation fee was examined with an aim to estimate the average WTP of local residents in Loc Ninh commune, Dong Hoi city, and to analyze a number of factors influencing the WTP level. Ninety six households were selected with a Stratified Random Sampling technique and interviewed with structured questionnaires on different fee levels that they were willing to pay for. The analysis results processed with Weighted Average Method showed that the average WTP was 18,440 VND/month. The highest and lowest WTP per month were 26,000÷29,000 VND/month and 17,000 VND/month, respectively. Based on Regression Analysis Model added in the Analysis Toolpak of MS. Excel, this paper investigated 4 key demographic characteristics of respondents; namely age, sex, occupation and per capita income which likely affected the WTP level. Of which, education and per capita income greatly influenced the WTP, i.e. respondents with higher levels of these factors showed higher level of WTP. In terms of occupation, the WTP of those residents who were engaged in farming were lower than that of other surveyed occupations