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John Trotti MSW Management Editor

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MSW Editor's Blog

October 7th, 2008 6:43am PST

Once More Into the Breech

Posted By John Trotti Comments

Back at the beginning of the decade I asked the question, "Is It Time to Dump the Hierarchy?” looking forward to the variety of reactions the notion might elicit. I was not disappointed, but in some cases I was caught off guard. On one hand I found solid support for the proposition and its basis from people I would have expected to stand foursquare behind the hierarchy, and I found opposition from some I would have expected to line up in the "Amen" corner. And, of course, there were a few who called for my head on a platter - [Wait until you see the upcoming November/December issue to see how my September fared.]

Predictably, much of the opposition to the concept made reference to the benefits of an institution aimed at establishing a workable relationship between the lofty vision of environmental stewardship and the day-to-day reality of MSW management. To the extent that the hierarchy contributed to a meaningful nexus, I too join in the applause, but I don't see that as the end of the story. In fact, I would like to reiterate my prior belief that "The present-day hierarchy has had a profound effect on waste management strategies, structure, politics, and certified authority - a self-perpetuating aristocracy claiming a sort of moral high ground that, until recently, has held at bay those who would challenge that authority."

To me the heart of the problem lies in the notion that rather than being an articulation of what a few people at USEPA thought made sense in most cases, it is somehow worthy of elevation to divine status as The Hierarchy. Thus, some proponents of the hierarchy have become increasingly rigid in their interpretation of what methods constitute diversion, insisting that what was written down less than two decades ago is cast in concrete -- the pinnacle of rational thought on the management of wastes.

But whoa! Stop for a moment and ask yourself just how rational it is to reject the value of cost-benefit analyses on which informed public policy and program decisions rely. Rather than the result of logical development, the hierarchy is in fact a conclusion posing as a major premise, lacking any mechanism for weighing alternatives that take into account the complex interaction of investment and overall environmental returns.

If anything has become apparent in our diversion efforts over the past several years it is that mandating the use of a growing supply of marginal materials does not lead to the efficient use of resources, yet today we see authority becoming increasingly resistant to the development and exploration of new ideas, as evidenced by the vice-like grip of the belief in the hierarchy of otherwise-acceptable diversion approaches. Instead of open dialog on the value of new approaches to diversion, we have confrontation by people who feel that waste management is a moral rather than pragmatic issue where, if you don't believe in a particular solution, you're wrong.

For some it seems that the preservation of the hierarchy is more important than the pursuit of the goal for which it was instituted. Nowhere is this more apparent than in objections to alternative technologies at or near commercialization, such as anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrolysis, all of which hold tremendous potential for converting residual wastestream materials into valuable commodities. These and other innovative technologies are laying the foundation for new industries that could complement traditional recycling and help make giant strides toward both disposal and pollution abatement.

So I’ll ask for the umpteenth time, “Is it time to dump the hierarchy?” hoping that rather than hardening positions on the matter, this time discussion will lead to some measure of accommodation.

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