4. Social distrust

The landfill has always aroused public fear, opposition and, to say the least, mistrust. It has to be said that the image generally accepted or conveyed was that of a landfill that smoked, smelled bad, attracted rodents and insects, and could pollute water resources. Waste is already an "object" that you get rid of, that you no longer want to see or hear about. So a landfill, considered as a sum of waste, can only provoke an understandable aversion at first sight.

In almost any situation where a landfill is confronted with a public, there are several typical behaviors of the populations concerned:

• the "indifferent", who are not very sensitive as long as they are not in or near the prevailing winds;

• the "citizens": understanding of the public need for such equipment "it has to be put...