ABSTRACT
Increasing awareness of the problem has pushed the issue of siting hazardous waste management facilities to the forefront as a policy concern confronting the United States in the 1980s. The issue of effective control of hazardous wastes presents both modern industrial societies and those undergoing economic development with a harsh and discomforting dilemma. Mounting evidence that uncontrolled hazardous waste disposal sites can be the source of serious adverse impacts for adjacent communities underscores the need for additional new, safe facilities in the coming decade. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act are intended to regulate those hazardous wastes produced in the future. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act program relies on a "cradle to grave" approach to the management of hazardous wastes. Empirical data to substantiate whether the same factors also underlie public involvement in decisions to site hazardous waste management facilities has been much more limited.
