Indiana has 7-8 years of landfill capacity remaining until its landfills are full. Delaware County has been without a municipal sanitary landfill since 1985. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Delaware County public opinion on solid waste management issues in order to ultimately include the public in the management process. Two hundred eighty-one Delaware County residents were surveyed by telephone to assess their knowledge and opinions on solid waste management issues. Two sets of conditions were hypothesized to influence attitudes: urban versus rural living environment, and educational level. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) between urban and rural attitudes towards waste management options. There was a difference between responses as a function of educational level; the more educated respondents were more aware of solid waste disposal issues. It was concluded that the public is aware of both national and local waste management issues, and are in favor of legislative control measures.