Developing host community siting packages for waste facilities

Many types of benefits are conceivable as measures to offset waste facility impacts in a host community. Some may be ineffective or even detrimental to facility acceptance. It is in the best interest of the host community as well as the facility proponent to select and negotiate the most effective measures for a siting package. Properly sequenced, effective measures reduce time and effort required to negotiate agreements, and they may reduce the value of required siting measures. This article derives key principles and elements of siting packages: (1) need identification, (2) technical and site optimality, (3) waste stream control, (4) impact reduction management, (5) benefits, compensation, incentives, and (6) process management are shown to be important elements for siting waste facilities. An analysis of reported siting cases, however, shows that need justification, technology and site choice, and waste stream controls are infrequently used, whereas compensation benefits are often used in conjunction with process management and impact reduction. The article concludes that creative use of need identification, technology selection, and waste stream control may improve siting agreement success, shorten the negotiation process, and result in less costly agreements