Race, wealth, and solid waste facilities in North Carolina

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Concerns exist regarding the disproportionate siting of solid waste facilities in poor communities and communities of color in North Carolina.
• These siting patterns are viewed as environmental injustice, with potential negative health impacts on host communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a statewide analysis of solid waste facility locations in North Carolina.
• To examine the relationship between facility siting and community race and wealth.

Main Methods:

• Utilized census block groups for racial and economic data.
• Extracted solid waste facility permit information from state records.
• Employed logistic regression for prevalence odds ratios (2003) and Cox regression for hazard ratios (1990-2003).

Main Results:

• Solid waste facilities were 2.8 times more prevalent in areas with >= 50% people of color compared to areas with < 10% people of color.
• Facilities were 1.5 times more prevalent in areas with median house values < $60,000 compared to areas with median house values >= $100,000.
• New facilities had a 2.7 times higher hazard in areas with >= 50% people of color versus areas with < 10% people of color.

Conclusions:

• Solid waste facilities pose significant public health concerns.
• North Carolina's solid waste facilities are disproportionately located in communities of color and low wealth.
• Without intervention, future facility needs may exacerbate existing environmental injustices.