Municipal solid waste (MSW) management presents a growing challenge in Mississippi as population trends, socioeconomic change and regional development continue to place pressure on existing landfill capacity. This thesis examines waste generation and disposal patterns from 2000 through 2022 across Mississippi counties, with projections extending to 2050. Historical landfill tonnage data was gathered and compiled from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and analyzed using regression models in Excel and RStudio, with forecasts generated for both in-state and out-of-state waste flow. Results highlight significant variations among landfills, including differing closure timelines, changing county service areas and notable shifts in out-of-state contributions. To conceptualize these trends, per-capita waste generation and median household income (adjusted for inflation via the Consumer Price Index) were incorporated into the analysis.
A GIS case study focuses on Mississippi’s three coastal counties, where land-use constraints and existing development will likely restrict future landfill siting. Using layers such as wetlands, protected nature areas, FAA runway buffers, and parcel data, this analysis evaluates if sufficient space exists for additional landfill facilities in these counties. These findings suggest coastal areas may eventually need to rely on transportation of generated waste to inland facilities. Out of state imports remain a contributing factor in overall planning, but the primary concern in ensuring the long-term disposal options for Mississippi’s own waste along the Gulf Coast.
","abstract_html":"<p>Municipal solid waste (MSW) management presents a growing challenge in Mississippi as population trends, socioeconomic change and regional development continue to place pressure on existing landfill capacity. This thesis examines waste generation and disposal patterns from 2000 through 2022 across Mississippi counties, with projections extending to 2050. Historical landfill tonnage data was gathered and compiled from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and analyzed using regression models in Excel and RStudio, with forecasts generated for both in-state and out-of-state waste flow. Results highlight significant variations among landfills, including differing closure timelines, changing county service areas and notable shifts in out-of-state contributions. To conceptualize these trends, per-capita waste generation and median household income (adjusted for inflation via the Consumer Price Index) were incorporated into the analysis.</p> <p>A GIS case study focuses on Mississippi’s three coastal counties, where land-use constraints and existing development will likely restrict future landfill siting. Using layers such as wetlands, protected nature areas, FAA runway buffers, and parcel data, this analysis evaluates if sufficient space exists for additional landfill facilities in these counties. These findings suggest coastal areas may eventually need to rely on transportation of generated waste to inland facilities. Out of state imports remain a contributing factor in overall planning, but the primary concern in ensuring the long-term disposal options for Mississippi’s own waste along the Gulf Coast.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Anderson, Jason C"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Kayla Stan","Dr. David Cochran","Dr. George Raber"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z","subjects":["mississippi municipal solid waste","landfill capacity forecasting","waste generation trends","GIS landfill suitability","coastal Mississippi land use constraints","Other Environmental Sciences","Sustainability"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1181","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Kayla Stan","Dr. David Cochran","Dr. George Raber"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Anderson, Jason C"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-09-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["mississippi municipal solid waste","landfill capacity forecasting","waste generation trends","GIS landfill suitability","coastal Mississippi land use constraints","Other Environmental Sciences","Sustainability"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1181"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Municipal solid waste (MSW) management presents a growing challenge in Mississippi as population trends, socioeconomic change and regional development continue to place pressure on existing landfill capacity. This thesis examines waste generation and disposal patterns from 2000 through 2022 across Mississippi counties, with projections extending to 2050. Historical landfill tonnage data was gathered and compiled from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and analyzed using regression models in Excel and RStudio, with forecasts generated for both in-state and out-of-state waste flow. Results highlight significant variations among landfills, including differing closure timelines, changing county service areas and notable shifts in out-of-state contributions. To conceptualize these trends, per-capita waste generation and median household income (adjusted for inflation via the Consumer Price Index) were incorporated into the analysis.
A GIS case study focuses on Mississippi’s three coastal counties, where land-use constraints and existing development will likely restrict future landfill siting. Using layers such as wetlands, protected nature areas, FAA runway buffers, and parcel data, this analysis evaluates if sufficient space exists for additional landfill facilities in these counties. These findings suggest coastal areas may eventually need to rely on transportation of generated waste to inland facilities. Out of state imports remain a contributing factor in overall planning, but the primary concern in ensuring the long-term disposal options for Mississippi’s own waste along the Gulf Coast.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Assessment of Mississippi Landfill Capacity in Relation to Waste Generation and Land-Use Constraints"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Kayla Stan","Dr. David Cochran","Dr. George Raber"],"dc:creator":["Anderson, Jason C"],"dc:date.available":["2026-09-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Municipal solid waste (MSW) management presents a growing challenge in Mississippi as population trends, socioeconomic change and regional development continue to place pressure on existing landfill capacity. This thesis examines waste generation and disposal patterns from 2000 through 2022 across Mississippi counties, with projections extending to 2050. Historical landfill tonnage data was gathered and compiled from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and analyzed using regression models in Excel and RStudio, with forecasts generated for both in-state and out-of-state waste flow. Results highlight significant variations among landfills, including differing closure timelines, changing county service areas and notable shifts in out-of-state contributions. To conceptualize these trends, per-capita waste generation and median household income (adjusted for inflation via the Consumer Price Index) were incorporated into the analysis.
A GIS case study focuses on Mississippi’s three coastal counties, where land-use constraints and existing development will likely restrict future landfill siting. Using layers such as wetlands, protected nature areas, FAA runway buffers, and parcel data, this analysis evaluates if sufficient space exists for additional landfill facilities in these counties. These findings suggest coastal areas may eventually need to rely on transportation of generated waste to inland facilities. Out of state imports remain a contributing factor in overall planning, but the primary concern in ensuring the long-term disposal options for Mississippi’s own waste along the Gulf Coast.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1181"],"dc:subject":["mississippi municipal solid waste","landfill capacity forecasting","waste generation trends","GIS landfill suitability","coastal Mississippi land use constraints","Other Environmental Sciences","Sustainability"],"dc:title":["Assessment of Mississippi Landfill Capacity in Relation to Waste Generation and Land-Use Constraints"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z"}