ABSTRACT
According to the law of conservation of mass, all material inputs into the US economy must ultimately leave the system in the form of chemical, physical, and biological wastes. When these wastes, or residuals, are released into aquatic or atmospheric environments, they are air and water pollutants. The materials balance model is particularly useful in indicating the four primary residuals control options: reducing the throughput of materials and energy, timing and locating waste releases for maximum dilution and dispersion, augmenting the assimilative capacity of the environment for wastes, and treating residuals. One of the most important concepts in residuals management is the trade-off of costs and benefits involved in pollution and waste control. The alternative economic approaches to residuals control are predicated on the theory that people have no natural right to clean water, land, and air. Local activities in residuals planning and management are, to a large extent, governed by state and federal rules, regulations, and incentives.
