Prior studies used the concept of “dual social injustice structures” to illustrate the conflicts of waste disposal facilities (WDFs) in China. The concept clarifies that inhabitants living near WDFs do not only suffer from the existing distributional injustice of social resources but also take forward distributional injustice of environmental problems from the facility. Moreover, the literature proves that the distributional and procedural injustices of pollution and construction are consequences of the existing “urban–rural structures” in China. However, the study drew two further conclusions based on qualitative and documental analyses of the case of a waste incineration complex located in a downtown area of a Chinese city K. First, recognitional justice is an important aspect that should be considered simultaneously with distributional and procedural justice in relation to environmental issues in China. They should be considered together as multidimensional justice. Second, although “dual social injustice structures” can explain why conflicts regarding WDFs occur under urban–rural structures, conflicts that occur in urban areas may point to a reversed structure. Thus, it is a possible result of a “chain of injustice” rather than the existing social distributional injustices.
