Hazardous Waste Facility Siting A Role for Planners

Abstract Hazardous wastes present a critical environmental challenge for the United States in the 1980s. Part of the challenge involves cleaning up or containing abandoned and uncontrolled waste disposal sites. The larger part of the challenge is to properly manage the hazardous wastes that are keyed to the productivity of the national economy. This article briefly overviews what the wastes are and how much exists; what their potential is for adverse human health effects and environmental degradation; federal legislation designed to regulate hazardous wastes; and the nature of public opposition toward siting new facilities. This summary precedes a more in-depth discussion of research designed to assess land use suitability for siting new hazardous waste facilities based on water supply, and other physical and cultural siting criteria. Results indicate that initially suitable sites do exist for siting new facilities. Planners can play an important role by identifying suitable sites through their knowledge ...