Solid waste facilities in South Carolina: issues of racial, economic, and environmental justice.

摘要

Previous research findings show that solid waste facilities are disproportionately sited in communities that are predominantly made up of people of color and/or the poor. This is an issue of environmental justice that has adverse health implications for the citizens of the impacted communities. Contributing to the literature and research on the topic this study examines the location of solid waste facilities in South Carolina in relation to race, income, and wealth. A similar study assessed the disparities in toxic release inventories; however, studies of disparities in the location of landfills in South Carolina have not previously been conducted. State census block groups are used to obtain racial and economic data (i.e., wealth and income), and information on the type and location of solid waste facilities in South Carolina are obtained from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Findings from a logistic regression analysis reveal that racial composition is a significant predictor of the presence of solid waste facilities in South Carolina, while income and wealth are not. Solid waste facilities are unequally distributed, therefore, disproportionately affecting communities that have greater numbers of racial minorities.