Resident’s risk perception and acceptance towards the sitting of waste incinerator

Abstract

Local acceptance has appeared as a main barrier to the development of waste incinerators, especially in urban areas with high population density. To provide an understanding of resident’s opposition to the waste incinerator project, this study aims to examine the resident’s awareness, acceptance, and risk perception towards the sitting of the waste incinerator. 326 residents had been surveyed and 271 sets of data were successfully collected via a questionnaire survey at Kepong, and it was subjected to data analysis. The results revealed that waste incinerators are perceived as high-risk facilities; thus, it is not surprising to learn that residents are skeptical towards the operation of waste incinerators as well as their safety is secured by the operator. Across the findings, the housing prices (38.8%), the probability of inhaling acidic gases (38.8%), and road damage caused by the transportation of solid waste for the incineration process (31.3%) should be highly noted. The results further indicate that there is a need for government and plant operators to reassure residents of the safety measures that can mitigate the potential risk associated with the operation of waste incinerators.