Page 50 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

28 BACKGROUND AND FUNDAMENTALS OF SOLID WASTE ANALYSIS AND MINIMIZATION

2001—EPA policy requires its offices to use paper with 100 percent recycled con-
tent and 50 percent postconsumer content.

2002—EPA kicks off Resource Conservation Challenge urging Americans to meet
or beat two goals by 2005: boosting the national recycling rate from 30 percent to
at least 35 percent and curbing by 50 percent the generation of 30 harmful chemi-
cals normally found in hazardous waste.

2.3 Environmental Laws

and Regulations

2.3.1 INTRODUCTION

Governments play a critical role in managing the environment including the atmos-
phere, land, water bodies, and all natural resources. Governments are valuable institu-
tions for resolving problems involving natural resources at both the local and global
scales. Although in recent decades the economic market has been identified as a suit-
able mechanism for managing environmental quality, markets have serious failures
and governmental intervention, regulation, and the rule of law is still required for the
proper, just, and sustainable management of the environment. This section discusses
several of the key environmental laws and regulations that pertain to solid waste
management.

2.3.2 SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT OF 1965

The Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) (P.L. 89-272, 79 Stat. 992) became law on
October 20, 1965. In its original form, it was a broad attempt to address the solid waste
problems confronting the nation through a series of research projects, investigations,
experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies. The key points of the
SWDA were

■ Promote better management of solid wastes.
■ Support resource recovery.
■ Directed that the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) promulgate and enforce regula-
tions for solid waste collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal. (The EPA
was not formed until 1970.)
■ Provided financial assistance for states to study and develop solid waste manage-
ment plans.
■ Provided support for research and development of improved methods of solid waste
management.

The decade following its passage revealed that the SWDA was not sufficiently
structured to resolve the growing mountain of waste-disposal issues facing the country.