Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
DOI
10.1016/j.jeem.2026.103399
Publication Title
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
Volume
140
Pages
103399 (16 pp.)
Abstract
Over the past three decades, the number of U.S. landfills has fallen by 41%, while average capacity has risen by 130%. This paper studies the distributional consequences of this consolidation. We show these changes coincide with waste disposal shifting toward locations with lower population density and higher shares of low-income, Black, and Hispanic residents. Event studies of landfill openings rule out large effects on migration, though new landfills are sited in places with fast-changing demographics. Using a novel measure of regulation built from large-language-model classifications of state statutes, we show evidence that increased state regulations may contribute to increasing disparities.
Rights
© 2026 The Authors.
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
ORCID
0009-0000-3352-1492 (Zhang)
Original Publication Citation
Zhou, H., Zhang, S., & Gordon, M. D. (2026). The environmental justice implications of industry consolidation: Evidence from U.S. landfills. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 140, Article 103399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2026.103399
Repository Citation
Zhou, Hui; Zhang, Shan; and Gordon, Matthew D., "The Environmental Justice Implications of Industry Consolidation: Evidence from U.S. Landfills" (2026). Economics Faculty Publications. 86.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/economics_facpubs/86
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Included in
Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Income Distribution Commons, Political Economy Commons, Regional Economics Commons
Comments
Data availability statement: Article states: "Data will be made available upon request."