ABSTRACT
In recent decades, the selection of technologies used to remediate contaminated environments is increasingly done through engagement with diverse stakeholders, including residents living on or near a contaminated site. Despite this shift, little is known about the diverse factors that affect how these residents support the remediation technologies that are selected. This lack of understanding hinders the remediation industry’s ability to effectively engage with these residents about remediation technology selection at a time when such engagement is becoming part of remediation policy and practice across the globe. This chapter presents the findings from a survey of 2,009 residents living near 13 contaminated sites across Australia. The survey acceptance is measured through residents’ level of support for the application of remediation technologies in their local area. Regression analysis of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions are combined to identify the main predictors of residents’ support for remediation technologies. The research identifies factors associated with the residents’ personal and demographic characteristics, their physical context and engagement with institution during remediation processes, and the technologies themselves which predict residents’ level of support for the application of remediation technologies.
