Chapter 2.4 Public awareness and communication

1. Chapter 2.4 Public awareness and communication TRP Chapter 2.4 1

2. Communicating with the public • Different terminology • Public communication • Public information • Stakeholder dialogue • Public consultation • Awareness raising • Public education programmes • Public involvement • Public participation • Same objective TRP Chapter 2.4 2

3. Public concerns in general • Fear of damage to health • Effects on quality of life • Damage to natural environment • Lack of trust in responsible authorities TRP Chapter 2.4 3

4. Public concerns about a specific development • Health concerns • Impacts on local amenities • Impacts on property values • Transport impacts • Effects on quality of life • Nuisance from noise, dust etc TRP Chapter 2.4 4

5. Need for public awareness raising in developing economies Press cutting from Sunday Navhind Times, Goa 7 April 2002 TRP Chapter 2.4 5

6. Case study: Successful community action, Taiwan Proposal in 2001 by EPA to build a 78 hectare disposal site for industrial waste Community was concerned that the construction would damage local economic development Petition submitted to EPA saying that residents were against the establishment of such a site EPA agreed not to proceed without community acceptance Site was relocated TRP Chapter 2.4 6

7. Case study: Public opposition to mercury disposal in India Community concern about a thermometer factory and scrap yard in a dense urban area Allegations that mercury-contaminated waste stored in open, frequented by barefoot, unprotected workers Wastes also illegally dumped on slopes of area officially designated a sanctuary area TRP Chapter 2.4 7

8. Raising public awareness • Hazardous waste management is itself an environmental protection measure • Need to raise public awareness and understanding • Public information campaigns are costly - they require: • funds • skilled staff • time TRP Chapter 2.4 8

9. Who is the public? • Also known as ‘stakeholders’: all of those who have rights, responsibilities and interests • Everyone but in particular: • Neighbours of waste generating industry • Neighbours of treatment or disposal facility • National and local environmental campaigning bodies • Local land users eg farmers, horticulturalists, allotment owners, gardeners, fishermen, forestry workers • Schools and play groups • Local community and religious groups TRP Chapter 2.4 9

10. Specific groups to be informed • Politicians, local and national • Print and broadcast media • Waste generators TRP Chapter 2.4 10

11. Why raise public’s awareness? • To increase their trust • To provide accurate information • To convey their own responsibilities as waste generators • To get support for national waste strategies and especially a hazardous waste management programme • To get local acceptance of necessary facilities required by that strategy TRP Chapter 2.4 11

12. Another reason to inform the public • To comply with the Aarhus Convention • UN Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters • Came into force October 2001 • To date 19 countries are party to the convention TRP Chapter 2.4 12

13. Who should undertake public information and communication? • International bodies eg WHO, UNEP • National governments • Local/regional government • Waste industry TRP Chapter 2.4 13

14. How to inform and communicate with the public? • Use a variety of methods as ‘public’ is mixed: • Be clear about objectives • Identify audience groups • Identify message(s) TRP Chapter 2.4 14

15. Need for diverse methods Some methods suited to conveying information and acquiring stakeholder views, some suited to dialogue • passiveinformation provision eg posters, leaflets, newsletters, media/radio, web sites • active seeking of public views eg surveys, workshops, telephone hot lines • participative forums eg citizens juries, local advisory groups Need information appropriate to audience eg non-technical for layman Use of Internet increasing TRP Chapter 2.4 15

16. When to involve the public? • When a hazardous waste strategy for the region or city is being devised • When contracts for hazardous waste collection and/or disposal are being negotiated • When planning applications are made for waste treatment and disposal sites • When licensing or operating permits are applied for AIM: to increase public understanding of the issues and acceptance of necessary facilities TRP Chapter 2.4 16

17. NIMBY • Some of the acronyms used to describe public attitudes: • NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard • LULU = Locally Unacceptable Land Use • NIMTOO = Not In My Term Of Office • BANANA = Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone • … and one used by the public to describe industry’s approach: • CATNIP = Cheapest Available Technology Not Involving Prosecution TRP Chapter 2.4 17

18. Average costs of different approaches • Low cost: • Leaflets and posters • Surveys– telephone, postal, targeted groups • Medium cost: • Panels and focus groups • Citizens’ juries • High cost: • Local advisory groups TRP Chapter 2.4 18

19. Information for other stakeholders • Different stakeholders need different information eg industry, policy makers • Sector-specific information targeted at: • major hazardous waste generators • small scale generators • Waste minimisation initiatives TRP Chapter 2.4 19

20. Chapter 2.4 Summary • Different terms, same objective • improving the public’s awareness of, and participation in, hazardous waste management issues • Common public concerns • Case studies of public opposition • Diversity of ‘the public’ • Why involve them, who should do it, how and when • Targeting specific sectors eg waste generators TRP Chapter 2.4 20