Factors influencing public perception and impact distance of a municipal solid waste dumpsite in Thailand
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Abstract
In Thailand, the continued use of unsanitary disposal sites without sufficient environmental and public health protection has led to a growing negative public perception of local municipal solid waste facilities. While the development of a more environmentally-benign system is underway, it is essential to understand how to handle and prevent negative public perception from escalating into excessive public opposition. In this paper, in-depth interviews and questionnaire-based interviews are used to gather data from 468 respondents, at 28 survey locations, within a 5.7 km radius of the Praeksa Mai dumpsite. The concerns that drive negative public perceptions of the dumpsite, which can be classified into those related to health, environment, and property value of land, are revealed. Non-parametric statistical analysis techniques are used to identify the significant factors influencing the perception of residents living near the dumpsite, and to investigate the change in perception related to 6 impact categories across different distance intervals from the dumpsite. The results show that the odor is the most significant issue faced by the group of residents living within 1 km around the dumpsite. Overall, the impact distance is about 3.5 km away from the dumpsite. Beyond this distance, respondents feel that they are only slightly affected by the dumpsite. The approach used to investigate the impact distance and the change of public perception over distance is the main contribution of this paper.
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