Sharp discrepancies between nuclear and conventional toxic waste

Technical analysis and public perception

authored by: Roman Seidl, Thomas Flüeler, Pius Krütli
Abstract: Partly due to failed approaches in nuclear waste (NW) governance, years of high levels of attention have resulted in novel, more participatory avenues in Switzerland and other countries. What can be said about the case of conventional hazardous waste (CHW) from households? What technical and legal aspects are similar to or different from those of the NW domain? How does the public perceive CHW and its handling? We address these (so far) open questions in this study that comprises multiple methodological approaches. We combine a technical and system assessment with a societal (perception) assessment, based on a representative survey (N = 3082) among the German-speaking population of Switzerland. We draw some conclusions for a possible way forward in hazardous waste policy and governance. We find a remarkable disparity between technical analysis and public perception. The community should discuss whether the current NW management is forward-looking and may serve as a model for CHW. For CHW, the multiplicity of agents and the heterogeneity of substances may make the situation too complex, non-transparent, and thus less salient in the public perception. Paradoxically, the ubiquity of conventional waste, traditional community landfills, and everyday handling of some waste may make it appear less alarming than NW.
Organisation(s): Centre for Radiation Protection and Radioecology
External Organisation(s): ETH Zurich
Kanton Zürich - Baudirektion
Type: Article
Journal: Journal of hazardous materials
Volume: 414
ISSN: 0304-3894
Publication date: 15.07.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Waste Management and Disposal, Pollution, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125422 (Access: Closed)