Controversy Averted in Siting of Waste Processing Plant

A good communications strategy can manage a public relations crisis. An even better strategy is to defuse the crisis before it has a chance to develop.

Crisis prevention was the priority of the public relations program supporting the siting of a regional municipal solid waste processing plant in west-suburban Chicago. The program proved so successful in avoiding controversy that daily newspapers and broadcast news media ultimately lost interest in covering the issue when it came up for a vote.

Disposal of municipal solid waste is a serious social, environmental and economic problem, especially in major cities that are running out of places to put it. A proposed West Suburban Recycling and Energy Center (WSREC) was to be the first facility in the nation to integrate recycling, composting and waste-to-energy processes at a single site. Sized to serve 40 suburban communities, the Center would:

• separate materials that could be reused or recycled for sale to local markets;
• divert biodegradable materials for composting in an enclosure that traps odors; and
• convert the remaining unmarketable garbage to fuel to generate electricity to operate the facility and power 20,000 homes.

Fit snugly into a 36-acre industrial site, the $200 million project would straddle the border of two suburbs: Summit and McCook.

Despite its many benefits, the proposed Center was certain to meet opposition from: activists who oppose incineration even when coupled with energy recovery; advocates of waste reduction who believe that advances in waste processing undermine their efforts; individuals who distrust government’s ability to regulate waste management facilities; and neighbors who fear possible odors from decaying compost.

State law required siting approval by the two local village boards. Many months before announcing the facility, developers decided on the necessity of a comprehensive issues management and crisis prevention program and retained PCI.

PCI enlisted the assistance of Holt & Ross Inc., Edison, N.J., for their expertise in environmental public affairs. Holt & Ross and PCI are partners in the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world's largest network of independently owned firms, and have partnered on environment/conservation projects that benefit from their backgrounds. The objective was to establish and maintain public support for WSREC, thereby encouraging a favorable vote on its local siting by the village boards.

The public relations strategy was to encourage a high-level of public discussion about WSREC, while steering around land mines of controversy. This would be accomplished through:
(1) aggressive communications with the community and local opinion leaders, (2) open and honest dialogue, (3) anticipation of problems and issues, (4) earned trust for the project developer, (5) building of coalitions with allies, (6) creation of win-win outcomes with potential adversaries, and (7) immediate attention to any sparks that could ignite an event for the media.

The tactical plan resembled a game of chess in which opinions and actions of players are anticipated so that program pieces can be moved into position. The highlights included:

• An opinion survey of residents of the two communities and surrounding neighborhoods to assess attitudes about municipal solid waste management.
• Creation of an environmentally friendly name and logo for the facility.
• Delay of the announcement of the project until after the March primary elections so that the facility would not become a campaign issue.
• Distribution of portfolios of information about the project to local opinion leaders the day prior to public announcement.
• Creation of a brochure about the facility which was mailed to all residents the day of its announcement.
• Media interview training for project spokespersons.
• Meetings with the editorial boards of local newspapers and the distribution of press information packets to all media.
• Appointment of a Citizens’ Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the proposed facility and provide information to the village boards.
• Guest speaker presentations at meetings of business and civic organizations.
• Production of a video, “Using Our Hidden Resources,” to explain the proposed facility to community organizations.
• Hosting of a community information fair with booths to explain the recycling, composting and waste-to-energy processes.
• A telephone “hot line” that enabled residents to call with questions about the project.
• Immediate response in letters-to-the-editor columns to readers’ comments critical of the proposed center.
• Mayoral letters of endorsement sent to all residents.

Presentations at public hearings held in both communities.

The village boards of both Summit and McCook voted unanimous approval of the siting application for the West Suburban Recycling and Energy Center.

The community relations program was a success by every measure:

• Efforts by outsiders to stir opposition to the project collided with a wall of community support.
• At public hearings in Summit and McCook, only four residents spoke in opposition to the project.
• Controversy was so limited that the Chicago daily newspapers and broadcast media lost interest. The final vote by the village boards was reported only by suburban newspapers.
• Because the siting of the waste processing plant was never allowed to develop into a controversy, expenditures for the public relations program were just 65 percent of the amount budgeted.

The community relations program was recognized by peers in the public relations industry with three awards:

• Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America – public relations’ version of the “Oscar”
• Golden Trumpet from the Publicity Club of Chicago
• Silver Trumpet from the Publicity Club of Chicago