ABSTRACT
The development of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 dates to the passage of the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, which first addressed the issues of waste disposal on a nationwide basis. Prior to the 1960s land disposal practices frequently included open burning of wastes to reduce volume, and were controlled only by the general need to avoid creating a public health impact and nuisance, such as a bad smell or visual blight-problems that one could see, smell, taste or touch. At that time, what few landfill controls existed were generally focused only on the basics of sanitation, such as rodent control, and the prevention of fires. The early concept of the “sanitary” landfill was to cover the waste with soil to reduce pests and vermin, create separate chambers of earth to reduce the spread of fire, and control odor and unsightly appearance-the key environmental concerns of the time.
