Tsugiya Fukumoto*, Tohru Furuichi**, Kazuei Ishii**, Yumiko Ebina** and Masataka Hanashima***

* CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.
** Division of Environment Resource Engineering,Graduate School of Engineering Hokkaido University
*** Department of Civil Engineering Fukuoka University

+ Correspondence should be addressed to Tohru Furuichi:
(W8, N13, Sapporo 060-8628 Japan)

Abstract

Nowadays, construction of landfill sites has become more difficult because of the opposition from residents. The reasons are: anxiety about groundwater pollution; doubts about the results of site selection; suspicion of the operating bodies, and so on. To settle this problem, the '1997 Amendment to the Waste Management & Public Cleansing Law' obliged all solid waste disposal facilities to carry out living environment assessment and to make the results of the assessment available to the public. But living environment assessment only can not settle this problem completely. Residents' participation in planning and site selection for landfill sites is also required. The objective of this study is: to integrate the process of site selection for landfill sites, through three real examples of site selection, by developing a procedure of site selection based on geological and hydrogeological conditions, and introducing public participation into the procedure. Effectiveness of this process is also examined through three other real examples of site selection, where opposition from residents has occurred. As a result, it is supposed that: carrying out site selection; making proper information available to the public; and holding public hearings; may prevent the escalation of opposition from residents caused by poor information, and promote mutual understanding.

Key words: construction of landfill sites, living environment assessment, site selection, residents' participation, freedom of information