Unequal Burdens

How Socio-Demographic Variables Shape the Environmental, Health, and Socio-Economic Effects of Illegal Waste Dumping

Bibliographic Data

ID19489263
AuthorsMahlomola Phala (0000-0001-7174-2931, University of KwaZulu-Natal, corresponding author), Ntombifuthi P Nzimande (0000-0003-1218-2166, University of KwaZulu-Natal), Sifiso Xulu (0000-0003-0849-0967, University of South Africa)
Year2026
Volume10
Issue5
Pages239
Publication date2026-04-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2413-8851 • E-ISSN: 2413-8851
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/urbansci10050239
OpenAlexW7160086305
LanguageEN
References cited44

Illegal waste dumping (IWD) remains a major challenge for many developing municipalities, contributing to environmental degradation, public health risks, and socio-economic burdens. This study aims to assess the environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts of IWD and to examine the influence of socio-demographic variables (gender, education, age, and income) on perceived impacts. Primary data was collected through a quantitative survey of 381 participants from the Thabazimbi Local Municipality. The Mann–Whitney test was used to compare perceived IWD impacts between gender groups, and the Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare perceived IWD impacts across education, age, and income groups. The results showed strong agreement (>80%) on the perceived environmental health and socio-economic impacts of IWD, indicating that IWD is a universal challenge across the municipality. Moreover, the statistical analysis revealed that income and education groups differed in their perceived environmental and socio-economic impacts (p

Dumping · Municipal solid waste · Public health · Statistical analysis · Statistical hypothesis testing · Sustainability · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Healthcare and Environmental Waste Management · Municipal Solid Waste Management

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access