ENVIRON IMPACT ASSESS REV 1989;9:317-329 317 THE INCINERATION CONFLICT: ADDRESSING PUBLIC CONCERNS ESTHER SISKIND AND LAWRENCE E. SUSSKIND Local concerns about the health and environmental effects of proposed incin- erators have made it difficult to site such facilities. Litigation has stalemated the implementation of many new incinerators throughout the United States. While further research on the actual health and environmental effects of air emissions and ash residue from various kinds of incineration is important, it is unlikely that any group will be able to "win" an incinerator battle because it musters new scientific evidence. Rather, other strategic changes ought to be made that address the remaining uncertainty surrounding the health and environmental impacts of incineration. Four specific strategies, in our view, ought to be adopted in light of the continued stalemate over incineration: • Implement recycling programs before new incineration plans are considered. Recycling is more economically and environmentally appealing than incin- eration. Impasse regarding the need for incineration will not be broken until full scale municipal recycling programs are operational. • Adopt a careful "operations-oriented" approach to controlling incinerator emissions. Careful and continuous monitoring of incineration plants is the key to reducing the risks of toxic air emissions. The best pollution control technology is of little use if plants are poorly run. Thus, opponents of incineration facilities must be convinced that such plants will be operated in a consistent and appropriate fashion. • Develop stricter ash disposal standards and alternative uses for ash. Landfills for ash disposal are often more controversial than the waste-to-energy plants (WTEP) that produce the ash. Ideally, alternative uses can be found for incinerator ash that will eliminate the need for land burial entirely. • Increase state involvement in waste disposal planning and siting. Tradi- © 1989 Elsevier Science Publishing Co.. Inc 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010 0195-9255/89/$3.50