Urban marginal ruderal areas as hotspots for illegal waste dumping

Illegal dumping is a persistent environmental issue in urban areas, yet the spatial factors driving the location of dumpsites remain poorly understood. The study introduces the concept of the urban marginal ruderal area—a space characterised byproximity to marginal roads, adjacency to buildings of varying land-use classes, and ruderal vegetation indicative of advancedplant succession. These accessible yet seemingly disorganised areas are particularly susceptible to illegal waste disposal. Dataon dump sites in Łódź, Poland, were collected through field surveys, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), and UAV(drone) surveys. Using a predictive model, we produced a map identifying hotspots of potential waste accumulation within thecity. The results confirm that such zones are widespread throughout the target research area. However, preliminary findingssuggest that the precise location of dumps within these zones may be governed not solely by geographical factors but also bysocial ones, warranting further investigation. Accordingly, a dedicated section of this work addresses the susceptibility of urbanspaces to littering by supplementing the geospatial modelling with a discussion of possible sociological interpretations of thephenomenon under study.