Sharp discrepancies between nuclear and conventional toxic waste

Technical analysis and public perception

verfasst von: 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.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Radioökologie und Strahlenschutz
Externe Organisation(en): ETH Zürich
Kanton Zürich - Baudirektion
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Journal of hazardous materials
Band: 414
ISSN: 0304-3894
Publikationsdatum: 15.07.2021
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Environmental engineering, Umweltchemie, Abfallwirtschaft und -entsorgung, Umweltverschmutzung, Gesundheit, Toxikologie und Mutagenese
Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung: SDG 12 – Verantwortungsvoller Konsum und Produktion
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125422 (Zugang: Geschlossen)