Regulation, Recycling and Reduction in Medical Waste, 1990 Polymers, Laminations & Coatings Conference Proceedings

Waste Disposal - not a day goes by in which these two words are not mentioned in the press. They have become key words for the 90’s. Add the words “hazardous” or “medica1” and the public perception and fear associated with these waste streams is elevated to new heights. Politicians, business men and John Q. Public can no longer deal with the issue in a practical or reasonable fashion. This is the situation that we all must deal with on a daily basis. The public demands that waste be disposed of properly.

“Nobody wants it put down anywhere near where they live, the so-called ‘not-in-my-backyard’ syndrome—the dreaded NIMBY. We have always had NIMBYites. What is new are empowered NIMBYites. Through a variety of legal mechanisms, the public can stop virtually any commercial or government action at the local level. The public has insisted this power be returned to them because of their unwillingness to trust anyone. They have some justification—take the Vietnam War and Watergate for starters. In any event, people are more willing today to use their power to stop things, and what they seem to like to stop most are disposal facilities. It is hard to exaggerate the difficulty today of siting any facility having to do with waste disposal.”