Wasting energy? Campaigns against waste-to-energy sites in France

The proliferation of waste incinerators in France has stimulated widespread policy conflict and social mobilisation. French government has struggled to follow a coherent waste management strategy. Its initial preference for landfills as a waste disposal solution was replaced by waste incineration. This sparked a nationwide programme of construction in both urban and rural areas. Recent technological advances in waste-to-energy have further cemented incineration as a major policy solution in its management mix. Local anti-incinerator campaigns have emerged throughout France in response. A resource-opportunity analysis is employed to explain why some campaigns succeeded when others did not.