Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Trash incinerators have become a common waste management solution in many communities, promising to convert waste into energy. However, the impact of these facilities on public health and the environment has raised concerns among grassroots organizations. This research project aims to explore the challenges faced by grassroots movements in opposing the establishment and operation of trash incinerators. The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative interviews and case studies. Data will be collected from communities where trash incinerators are proposed or already in operation, focusing on the experiences and perspectives of local residents and grassroots organizations. Key variables to be examined include air quality, health outcomes, community engagement, and regulatory processes. Preliminary findings suggest that grassroots challenges to trash incinerators are multifaceted and rooted in concerns about air pollution, public health risks, and social justice issues. Grassroots organizations often face obstacles such as limited resources, lack of access to decision-making processes, and opposition from industry stakeholders. Despite these challenges, grassroots movements have been successful in influencing public opinion, mobilizing community support, and advocating for more sustainable waste management solutions. The research will contribute to the existing literature on environmental justice, community activism, and waste management policy. Findings from this study can inform policymakers, environmental advocates, and community members about the importance of grassroots engagement in shaping waste management practices. By amplifying the voices of affected communities and highlighting the social and environmental impacts of trash incinerators, this research aims to empower grassroots movements to advocate for healthier and more sustainable alternatives. In conclusion, the impact of grassroots challenges to trash incinerators is significant in shaping waste management practices and promoting environmental justice. This research project seeks to shed light on the experiences of communities affected by trash incinerators and the strategies employed by grassroots organizations to address these challenges. Through a comprehensive analysis of the social, environmental, and political dimensions of the issue, this study aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics surrounding trash incineration and community resistance.

Thesis Overview

When first proposed in this country during the 1970s, waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators appeared to be ideal solutions to the growing mounds of trash in our “throw-away” society. Promising to convert useless garbage into electricity while saving precious landfill space, trash incinerators seemed perfectly timed to respond to a national need. Within a decade, however, a grassroots anti-incineration movement emerged as a vibrant offshoot of the environmental movement. In Don’t Burn It Here, sociologists Edward Walsh, Rex Warland, and D. Clayton Smith examine this grassroots movement through detailed analyses of the struggles surrounding proposals to build eight municipal incinerators

The eight case histories that form the heart of the book are comparable to hundreds of others across the U.S. The authors’ research is based on interviews, focus group discussions, extensive newspaper files, and questionnaire responses from participants on both sides of the conflicts. A final chapter examines the similarities and differences between the three successful projects and the five defeated ones. An overview of the history of the modern incinerator in the U.S. and the emergence of a major national opposition movement provides the necessary context, and throughout the book, the authors make useful comparisons to other national movements seeking legal justice for deprived collectivities such as women and ethnic groups.

This project was supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation’s Fund for Research in Dispute Resolution. Striving to maintain a balanced treatment of both sides of the incinerator battles, the authors provide fresh theoretical and methodological perspectives on a new type of collective action. They also help to close the gap between theory and empirical data in the social sciences.