Page 51 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS 29

As a result, significant amendments were made to the act with the passage of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA).

2.3.3 THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), established in 1969 by the U.S. gov-
ernment (42 U.S.C. 4321), was one of the first laws written related to environmental
protection. NEPA, which is pronounced NEE-pa, established a basic policy to assure
that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to
undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment. One of
the key phrases from this document that relates to recycling is “to enhance the quality
of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable
resources.”
NEPA requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-
making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed
actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. To meet this requirement, fed-
eral agencies prepare a detailed statement known as an environmental impact state-
ment (EIS). EPA reviews and comments on EIS prepared by other federal agencies,
maintains a national filing system for all EISs, and assures that its own actions
comply with NEPA.

2.3.4 RESOURCE RECOVERY ACT OF 1970

Increasing concerns over protection for human health and the environment lead to
amendments of the 1965 SWDA, and the 1970 Resource Recovery Act (RRA) was
passed. The RRA increased federal involvement with management of solid waste; it
encouraged waste reduction and resource recovery and created national disposal cri-
teria for hazardous wastes. This act was the forerunner of the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976. Following are the key points of RRA:

■ Directed that the nation would change its emphasis from solid waste disposal to
recycling and energy recovery.
■ Required the U.S. Public Health Systems to investigate and report on the disposal
of hazardous waste in the nation.

This was an important guidance document for the early stages of solid and haz-
ardous waste management. The RRA also marked the birth of the EPA, as it was
formed in the interim.

2.3.5 RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY
ACT OF 1976
In the United States RCRA is the primary law governing the disposal of solid and haz-
ardous waste. Congress passed RCRA on October 21, 1976 to address the increasing