POLICY, LAW, AND PUBLIC OPPOSITION - THE PROSPECTS FOR ABYSSAL OCEAN WASTE-DISPOSAL IN THE UNITED-STATES

The ocean is one of several media available for the disposal of societ y's wastes. Recently, its use for this purpose has been curtailed shar ply. In this paper, we describe the potential role of the ocean in an economically optimal multimedia waste disposal framework, review inter national agreements and U.S. laws regulating ocean disposal, and discu ss the role of public perceptions and environmental agendas in present policies governing ocean disposal. Our focus is on the disposal in th e abyssal ocean of wastes such as sewage sludge. We conclude that whil e the U.S. ban on ocean waste disposal may be reasonable in view of un certainties about environmental costs, the effective ban on limited di sposal for research purposes is more difficult to justify. A restorati on of public trust in government institutions and in the waste managem ent industry is a likely prerequisite for the relaxation of public opp osition to any change in the present prohibitions. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience B.V.