Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
我们应该如何处理污水污泥？澳大利亚公众对生物固体管理的偏好
What Should We Do With Sewage Sludge? Public Preferences for Biosolids Management in Australia
摘要
Biosolids are a solid byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment systems. Conventionally, because of their nutrient and carbon content, most biosolids have been applied to agricultural lands in Australia. However, growing concerns over methane emissions, ongoing management and transportation costs and contaminants of emerging concern, such as per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics, are calling conventional approaches into question. Water utilities are therefore exploring alternative options and new infrastructure investments to manage biosolids, considering wide‐ranging financial, environmental and social outcomes. We survey 3135 Australian residents and use an anchored best–worst scaling experiment to elicit public preferences for alternative biosolids management strategies. Results suggest the public is generally supportive of all biosolids management approaches, but that the reuse of biosolids to build roads, to create energy and for construction is most preferred. Using latent class analysis, we also uncover significant preference heterogeneity and some polarisation, especially for the use of biosolids in the food system. Together, our results emphasise the importance of developing effective soft infrastructure, like policy and engagement processes, to build public confidence and support the implementation of new hard infrastructure to improve biosolids management outcomes.
中文摘要
生物固体是市政污水处理系统的一种固体副产物。传统上，由于其含有养分和碳，澳大利亚大多数生物固体被施用于农业用地。然而，对甲烷排放、持续的管理与运输成本以及新出现的关注污染物（如全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）和微塑料）日益增长的担忧，正使传统方法受到质疑。因此，水务机构正在探索替代方案和新的基础设施投资来管理生物固体，并综合考虑广泛的财务、环境和社会结果。我们调查了3135名澳大利亚居民，并采用锚定最佳-最差量表实验来引出公众对替代生物固体管理策略的偏好。结果表明，公众总体上支持所有生物固体管理方法，但最偏好将生物固体再利用于修建道路、生产能源和用于建筑。通过潜在类别分析，我们还发现了显著的偏好异质性以及一定程度的极化，尤其是在将生物固体用于食品系统方面。总之，我们的结果强调了制定有效的软基础设施（如政策和参与流程）的重要性，以建立公众信心并支持实施新的硬基础设施，从而改善生物固体管理结果。