Solid‐Waste Management: Cooperative Extension Initiative

The Cooperative Extension (CEX) program has long been known for effective agricultural programming that brought science and technology to grass‐roots users within the food production community. However, it recently has embarked on a series of new initiatives that are likely to propel the CEX into domains far beyond its traditional role. These initiatives include management of natural resources, water quality, and waste management, all of which are traditional domains of environmental engineering. This paper discusses the Extension National Waste Management Initiative, with particular emphasis on the foreseen impacts of this program on rural communities. The Extension National Waste Management Initiative is necessitated by changes in minimum standards for solid‐waste‐disposal facilities that led to widespread reexamination of local waste‐management practices including those of rural communities. As a result, numerous landfills, especially those serving small rural communities, are expected to close. Another reason for the Extension National Waste Management Initiative is that disposal rules combined with normal public opposition to the siting of new disposal facilities are causing many rural communities to investigate alternatives to landfills, including recycling, composting, and burning waste for energy.