ABSTRACT
In 1976, the United States Congress decided that earlier laws on disposal of solid wastes were inadequate to address the variety and quantity of hazardous waste substances being placed in the environment. The regulations promulgated by the US Environmental Protection Agency to implement Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are deliberately so stringent as to encourage reuse and to discourage damage to the environment. RCRA and the implementing regulations in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 122–265 contain the elements of a complete cradle-to-grave program for hazardous wastes. These elements are identification of hazardous waste; standards applicable to generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of hazardous wastes; inspections; enforcement; and research, training, and demonstrations in the field of hazardous waste handling. RCRA will hopefully mean that past practices that have made many locations serious health hazards due to improper management of hazardous wastes will never occur again.
