A human ecology approach to environmental inequality: A county-level analysis of natural disasters and the distribution of landfills in the southeastern United States

Abstract

One underexplored area of great concern is the relationship between disasters and disposition of the waste they generate, which often amounts to the equivalent of 5 to 15 years of garbage that the same community would create under normal conditions. This paper develops a theoretical framework to analyze the factors that influence the distribution of landfills by integrating insights gained from the environmental inequality and human ecology traditions. The synthesis informs the quantitative analysis of the distribution of landfills across counties in the southeastern region of the United States by examining crucial associated variables, disasters, and other relevant factors gleaned from prior research. Findings suggest that natural disasters have indirect relationships with other communities that process waste. Results also point to the disproportionate concentration of landfills in counties with greater minority populations. The conclusions and implications of the findings are discussed in addition to a range of potential applications for future research.