Environmental Science Graduate, Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.
Department of Economics, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.
Environ Manage. 2022 Jan;69(1):179-195. doi: 10.1007/s00267-021-01540-4. Epub 2021 Nov 9.
The land application of biosolids can be subject to questions and concerns, suggesting a gap exists with public perception of biosolids. There is opposition amongst a segment of the population regarding the land application of biosolids in the Southern Interior of British Columbia in Canada. Kamloops and Merritt communities were assessed through a mailout survey to understand better public perceptions of biosolids risks and factors that influence attitudes towards biosolids management. Two thousand surveys were distributed proportionately between the communities. Response rates for Kamloops and Merritt were 22 and 24 percent, respectively. Kamloops and Merritt respondents generally identified differing risk perceptions around biosolids management. Kamloops respondents relative to Merritt were more accepting of the risks associated with biosolids. This acceptance is a likely result of Merritt residents' recent experience with application sites and proximity to biosolids projects, and the associated negative local media attention. Results from Kamloops highlighted that there is general support to find a productive use of biosolids. This research supports the notion that the 'beyond compliance' approach of conducting early engagement to obtain community support proactively may be valuable for any potentially controversial natural resource project, such as with biosolids land application projects.
污泥土地应用可能会引起质疑和担忧，这表明公众对污泥的看法存在差距。在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省南部内陆地区，有一部分人反对将污泥进行土地应用。通过邮寄调查评估了 Kamloops 和 Merritt 社区，以更好地了解公众对污泥风险的看法，以及影响对污泥管理态度的因素。在这两个社区中，分别按比例发放了 2000 份调查问卷。Kamloops 和 Merritt 的回复率分别为 22%和 24%。Kamloops 和 Merritt 的受访者普遍对污泥管理的风险有不同的看法。与 Merritt 相比，Kamloops 的受访者更容易接受与污泥相关的风险。这种接受很可能是 Merritt 居民最近接触到应用地点以及靠近污泥项目的结果，以及当地负面媒体的关注。Kamloops 的研究结果表明，人们普遍支持寻找一种有效的污泥利用方式。这项研究支持了这样一种观点，即对于任何可能有争议的自然资源项目，如污泥土地应用项目，采取“超越合规”的方法，提前进行接触以主动获得社区支持可能是有价值的。
