Landfill lottery

It is no coincidence that when several giant landfills were proposed for North Carolina earlier this year, they were to be located in counties and communities suffering more than their share of economic woes. Indeed, it's a rare case when a landfill is planned in or near some fancy neighborhood. Not only are land prices high, but the opposition tends to be fierce, well-financed, well-organized and politically savvy.

The legislature's Joint Select Committee on Environmental Justice recently was given a report showing that landfills are more than twice as likely to be located in places with substantial minority populations than in those that are predominantly white. The odds of a landfill being present also were notably higher in communities where average home prices are under $100,000.

Putting a landfill in a poor and rural area far from the sight and smell of those inclined to fight back is the easy way out. When such controversial decisions need to be made, the path of least resistance can be a tempting route for public officials.

Does that make it environmental racism? Some community activists think so. But the reality is more complex.

Poor folks often have little choice but to live in remote areas where home prices, rent and land are cheap. Those qualities make the same areas attractive to landfill developers. In addition, many struggling communities have such a pressing need for jobs that landfills are seen as welcome boosts to the local economy.

But when officials consistently do the easy thing and put landfills in such areas, they may be missing out on more creative and effective ways of disposing of trash and helping communities.

Increased emphasis on conservation, recycling and alternative means of waste disposal hold far more promise for North Carolina's future than digging more holes and dumping more trash in the boondocks.