Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography & Environmental Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Alfred Hecht

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

Hazardous waste management has recently become an issue of great concern for governments in industrialized countries. In spite of this, no one country has established a successful framework which guarantees the safe handling and disposal of hazardous wastes. The ideal system would generate no hazardous wastes in the first place but this, of course, is wishful thinking for highly industrialized societies. The next best or “preferred” solution is a system which emphasized reduction and recycling of hazardous wastes. The existing waste management systems in the world today, however, almost exclusively emphasize treatment and disposal. This thesis assesses the hazardous waste management system in the Federal Republic of Germany, reputed to be one of the most sophisticated in the world in terms of controls and proper disposal, and the fledgling system in Ontario, Canada. The systems are assessed on the basis of their effectiveness in safely dealing with its hazardous wastes and how they are promoting the “preferred” solutions. A comparison of the two systems illustrates the fact that Ontario has been attempting to model its hazardous waste management system after the German one before recent modifications had taken place. The ultimate purpose of the assessments is therefore to prevent Ontario from pursuing costly solutions that cannot be effective in the long term.

Convocation Year

1987

Convocation Season

Fall

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