ABSTRACT
Waste management has been plagued by an out of sight, out of mind public mentality. In natural systems, waste products are broken down by decomposer organisms and converted to a form for use by other organisms within the ecosystem. Urbanization, agricultural specialization, and industrialization have produced inorganic by-products that have disrupted these natural systems. Adverse health effects, if any, depend on the methods used to dispose of solid waste. Although Congress passed the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) in 1965, this legislation was only advisory. Solid waste management provides a good example of the environmental policy paradox in operation. Policy makers have well known for decades the problem and its solutions. There are numerous sources of toxic pollutants. Toxic wastes are a byproduct of energy development, agriculture, and most industrial activity. Toxic substances are regulated in the United States under various federal acts.
