National Biosolids Management Study

This multi-year study explores environmental practices of public sewage and wastewater treatment facilities, particularly related to their management of biosolids products, especially as they relate to Environmental Management Systems (EMS). Specifically it seeks to understand: (1) the predictors of voluntary EMS adoption in the public sector, and (2) the effect that EMS adoption has on environmental management practices of public sewage and wastewater treatment facilities. The study will administer an online web survey of operations or environmental managers who have repsonsibility for the management of biosolids products for their facilities. 

A number of wastewater treatment facilities have voluntarily adopted an environmental management system (EMS) offered by the National Biosolids Partnership and other organziations. This study attempts to identify the motivations, barriers, costs and benefits of voluntary environmental activity conducted by public wastewater treatment facilities. Prior research on voluntary environmental behavior of organizations has focused on private sector polluters. The adoption, development and deployment of one of the voluntary programs often studied in the private sector -- the environmental management systems (EMS) -- has received substantial attention, while other EMS programs targeted to the public sector have received no attention. Importantly, the theory developed to explain private sector voluntary behavior does not seem to fit public sector incentive environment. For example, much of the theory to date has focused on the importance of costs and benefits, market value, access to club goods, and regulatory influence.

 Public sector organizations are much less exposed to market incentives and much more exposed to a social and political incentives. As a result, we believe there are strong possibilities that the voluntary behavior of public sector entities will not easily fit existing behavioral theories.

Co-PIs: Dr. Eric Welch & Dr. Elizabeth Corley