Hazardous and Nonhazardous Waste

GAO did not find that minorities or poor persons were overrepresented near a majority of nonhazardous municipal landfills. According to GAO's nationwide sample of municipal landfills, less than half of such landfills had a percentage of minorities or low-income people living within one mile of the facility that was higher than the percentage in the rest of the county. The 10 studies that GAO summarized, which focused on the demographics of people living near waste facilities, had varied conclusions. Some asserted that minorities and low-income persons were disproportionately found near waste facilities, while others did not. The studies' conclusions are difficult to generalize because the authors examined different kinds of facilities and used different methodologies and definitions of "racial minority." The Environmental Protection Agency's limited requirements on where hazardous waste facilities may be built have not addressed "environmental justice," a concept that argues for alleviating any disproportionate burden imposed by waste facilities and environmental pollution on some groups of individuals. GAO found that few data were available on the health effects of hazardous and nonhazardous waste sites on minorities or low-income persons.

GAO found that: (1) minorities and low-income people were not overrepresented in the populations residing near nonhazardous municipal landfills; (2) the percentage of minority and low-income residents near landfills was usually lower than in the rest of the county; (3) the 10 studies reviewed did not agree on whether minorities and low-income people were disproportionately represented in the populations living near hazardous waste facilities; (4) it was difficult to generalize about the studies' conclusions, since the authors examined different types of facilities and used different methodologies and definitions of racial minorities; (5) none of the studies addressed changes in the makeup of the surrounding population after a facility's construction; (6) EPA requirements for hazardous and nonhazardous waste facilities and public participation in selection decisions have not focused on environmental justice, but EPA has recently proposed regulations and requested public comment on how to address the issue; (7) local government zoning laws were more likely to influence the proximity of pollution sources to low-income people; and (8) there is little available data on the health effects of hazardous and nonhazardous waste sites on minorities or low-income people.