I-1

Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SECTION I SECTION I

began to experience unparalleled growth. New

products were developed, and the consumer was

offered an ever-expanding array of material goods.

This growth continued through the early 20th

Century and accelerated after World War II when

the nation’s industrial base, strengthened by war,

turned its energy toward domestic production.

The results of growth, however,

were not all positive. While the

country produced more goods

and prospered economically, it

also generated more waste, both

hazardous and nonhazardous.

For example, at the end of

World War II, U.S.

industry was generating

roughly 500,000 metric

tons of hazardous waste

per year. This amount continued to increase over

the next 50 years. A national survey conducted

by EPA in 1996 estimated that 279 million metric

tons of hazardous waste were generated

nationwide in 1995, more than a 500-fold

increase.

Unfortunately, this phenomenal growth in

waste production was not mirrored by

advancements in the field of waste management.

Much of the waste produced entered the

environment, where it posed a serious threat to

ecological systems and public health.

In the mid-1970s, it became clear to Congress

and the American people that action had to be

taken to ensure that wastes were managed

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESOURCE

CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT

SECTION I

In this section...

Overview............................................................... I-1

RCRA: What It Is .................................................. I-2

- The Act .............................................................. I-2

- Regulations ....................................................... I-4

- Guidance and Policy ......................................... I-4

RCRA: How It Works ........................................... I-5

- Subtitle D — Solid Waste .................................. I-5

- Subtitle C — Hazardous Waste......................... I-5

- Subtitle I — Underground Storage Tanks .......... I-6

Who Is Involved in RCRA? ................................... I-6

RCRA Today ......................................................... I-7

- Waste Minimization ........................................... I-7

- Streamlining RCRA Regulation ......................... I-8

- Subtitle C Federal/State Partnership ................. I-8

- Demonstrating Results ...................................... I-8

Outline of the Manual ........................................... I-9

Summary .............................................................. I-9

OVERVIEW

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

(RCRA), an amendment to the Solid Waste

Disposal Act, was enacted in 1976 to address a

problem of enormous magnitude — the huge

volumes of municipal and industrial solid waste

generated nationwide.

There was a time when the amount of waste

produced in the United States was small and its

impact on the environment was viewed as

relatively minor. Times have changed. With the

industrial revolution in the late 1800s, the country
I-2

 SECTION I SECTION I Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

properly. This realization began the process that

resulted in the passage of RCRA. The goals set by

RCRA are:

• To protect human health and the environment

from the hazards posed by waste disposal

• To conserve energy and natural resources

through waste recycling and recovery

• To reduce or eliminate, as expeditiously as

possible, the amount of waste generated,

including hazardous waste

• To ensure that wastes are managed in a

manner that is protective of human health and

the environment.

To achieve these goals, RCRA establishes three

distinct yet interrelated programs (see Figure I-1).

The solid waste program, under RCRA Subtitle D,

encourages states to develop comprehensive plans

to manage nonhazardous industrial solid waste

and municipal solid waste, sets criteria for

municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) and

other solid waste disposal facilities, and prohibits

the open dumping of solid waste. The hazardous

waste program, under RCRA Subtitle C,

establishes a system for controlling hazardous

waste from the time it is generated until its

ultimate disposal — in effect, from cradle to grave.

Finally, the underground storage tank (UST)

program, under RCRA Subtitle I, regulates

underground tanks storing hazardous substances

and petroleum products.

Although RCRA creates the framework for the

proper management of hazardous and

nonhazardous solid waste, it does not address the

problems of hazardous waste found at inactive or

abandoned sites or those resulting from spills that

require emergency response. These problems are

addressed by a different act, the Comprehensive

Environmental Response, Compensation, and

Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly called

Superfund, which was enacted in 1980.

This section provides an overview of RCRA,

including the Act, regulations, guidance, and

policy. In addition, this section discusses the three

major programs that comprise RCRA and the

interrelationships between them. Finally, this

section details where RCRA is today, introduces

who is involved in RCRA, and outlines the

remainder of this manual.

RCRA: WHAT IT IS

Although RCRA is the acronym for the

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, it is

often used interchangeably to refer to the law, the

regulations, and EPA policy and guidance. To

avoid confusion in this manual, the term “the Act”

refers to the public law and statutory requirements

passed by Congress. The term “regulations” is

used interchangeably with standards or regulatory

requirements, and means the rules developed by

EPA to implement the statute.

■ The Act The Act

The Act provides

general guidelines

for the waste

management

program envisioned

by Congress. This

description is in

broad terms (e.g.,

SUBTITLE D

Solid

Waste

Program

SUBTITLE C

Hazardous

Waste

Program

SUBTITLE I

Underground

Storage Tank

Program

Figure I-1: RCRA'S THREE INTERRELATED

PROGRAMS

THE ACT

The law that describes the

kind of waste management

program that Congress

wants to establish. The

Act also provides the

Administrator of EPA (or

his or her designee) with

the authority to implement

the program.
I-3

Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SECTION I SECTION I

in response to citizen concerns that existing

methods of hazardous waste disposal, particularly

land disposal, were not safe. Because of their

significance and differences in their

implementation, HSWA provisions are

emphasized throughout this manual. Congress

also revised RCRA in 1992 by passing the Federal

Facility Compliance Act, which strengthened the

authority to enforce RCRA at federal facilities. In

addition, the Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act

of 1996 amended RCRA to provide regulatory

flexibility for the land disposal of certain wastes.

The structure of the Act is straightforward. It is

currently divided into 10 subtitles (see Figure I-3).

Subtitles A, B, E, F, G, H, and J outline general

provisions; authorities of the Administrator; duties

of the Secretary of Commerce; federal

responsibilities; miscellaneous provisions;

research, development, demonstration, and

information requirements; and medical waste

tracking. The other subtitles lay out the

framework for the three major programs that

comprise RCRA: the hazardous waste

management program (Subtitle C), the solid waste

program (Subtitle D), and the UST program

(Subtitle I).

directing EPA to develop and promulgate criteria

for identifying hazardous waste). The Act also

provides the EPA Administrator (or his or her

representative) with the authority necessary to

develop these broad standards into specific

requirements that will guide the actions of the

regulated community.

What we commonly know as RCRA, or the

Act, is actually a combination of the first federal

solid waste statutes and all subsequent

amendments (see Figure I-2). In 1965, Congress

enacted the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the first

statute that specifically focused on improving solid

waste disposal

methods. The Solid

Waste Disposal Act

established

economic incentives

for states to develop

planning, training,

research, and

demonstration

projects for the

management of

solid waste. The Act

was amended in

1976 by RCRA,

which substantially

remodeled our

nation’s solid waste

management system

and laid out the

basic framework of

the current

hazardous waste

management

program.

The Act, which has been amended several

times since 1976, continues to evolve as Congress

alters it to reflect changing needs. The Act was

amended significantly on November 8, 1984, by

the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments

(HSWA), which expanded the scope and

requirements of RCRA. HSWA was created largely

Subtitle Provisions

A General Provisions

B Office of Solid Waste; Authorities of the

Administrator and Interagency Coordinating

Committee

C Hazardous Waste Management

D State or Regional Solid Waste Plans

E Duties of the Secretary of Commerce in

Resource and Recovery

F Federal Responsibilities

G Miscellaneous Provisions

H Research, Development, Demonstration, and

Information

I Regulation of Underground Storage Tanks

J Standards for the Tracking and Management

of Medical Waste

Figure I-3: OUTLINE OF THE ACT

Figure I-2: THE

EVOLUTION

OF SIGNIFICANT RCRA

LEGISLATION

SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT

OF 1965

RESOURCE CONSERVATION

AND RECOVERY ACT

OF 1976

HAZARDOUS AND SOLID 

WASTE AMENDMENTS

OF 1984

FEDERAL FACILITIES 

COMPLIANCE ACT

 OF 1992

LAND DISPOSAL PROGRAM 

FLEXIBILITY ACT

OF 1996
I-4

 SECTION I SECTION I Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

■ Regulations

The Act includes a

Congressional mandate directing

EPA to develop a comprehensive

set of regulations. Regulations, or

rulemakings, are issued by an

agency, such as EPA, that translate

the general

mandate of a statute into a set of

requirements that the regulated

community and the agency must work within.

Regulations are developed by EPA in an open

and public manner according to an established

process. When a regulation is formally proposed,

it is published in an official government document

called the Federal Register to notify the public of

EPA’s intent to create new regulations or modify

existing ones. EPA provides the public, which

includes the potentially regulated community, with

an opportunity to submit comments. Following

the comment period, EPA may revise the

proposed rule based on both an internal review

process and public comments.

The final regulation is published, or

promulgated, in the Federal Register. Included

with the regulation is discussion of the Agency’s

rationale for the regulatory approach, known as

preamble language. Final regulations are

compiled annually and incorporated in the Code

of Federal Regulations (CFR) according to a highly

structured format based on the topic of the

regulation. This latter process is called

codification, and

each CFR title

corresponds to a

different regulatory

authority. For

example, the

Occupational Safety

and Health

Administration’s

(OSHA’s) regulations

are codified in Title

29 of the CFR; EPA’s

are in Title 40. The codified RCRA

regulations can be found in Title 40 of

the CFR, Parts 240-282. These

regulations are often cited as 40 CFR,

with the part listed afterward (e.g., 40

CFR Part 264), or the part and section

(e.g., 40 CFR §264.10).

Although this relationship between

an Act and the regulations is the norm,

the relationship between HSWA and its

regulations differs slightly. Congress,

through HSWA, not only provided EPA with a

general mandate to promulgate regulations, but

also placed explicit instructions in the Statute to

develop certain regulations. Many of these

requirements are so specific that EPA incorporated

them directly into the regulations. HSWA is all the

more significant because of the ambitious

schedules that Congress established for

implementation of the Act’s

provisions. Another unique

aspect of HSWA is that it

established hammer

provisions, or statutory

requirements that would go

into effect automatically

(with the force of

regulations) if EPA failed to

issue regulations by certain

dates.

The interpretation of statutory language does

not end with the codification of regulations. EPA

further clarifies the requirements of the Act and its

regulations through guidance documents and

policy.

■ Guidance and Policy

Guidance

documents are

issued by EPA

primarily to

elaborate and

provide direction

GUIDANCE

Documents developed and

issued by EPA to provide

instructions on how to

implement requirements of

either the Act or regulations.

THE REGULATIONS

The legal mechanism that

establishes standards or

imposes requirements as

mandated by the Act.

RCRA regulations are

promulgated by EPA,

published in the Federal

Register, and codified in

the Code of Federal

Regulations.

Protection of 

Environment

40

PARTS 260 TO 299

Revised as of July 1, 1996
I-5

Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SECTION I SECTION I

for implementing and

complying with

regulations. They are

essentially “how to”

documents. For example, the

regulations in 40 CFR Part 270 detail what is

required in a permit application for a hazardous

waste management facility, while the guidance for

this Part suggests how to evaluate a permit

application to ensure that all information has been

included. Guidance documents also elaborate on

the Agency’s interpretation of the requirements of

the Act.

Policy statements, on the other hand, specify

operating procedures that should generally be

followed. They are mechanisms used by EPA

program offices to outline the manner in which

pieces of the RCRA program are implemented.

For example, EPA’s Office of Enforcement and

Compliance Assurance (OECA) may issue a policy

outlining what enforcement action should

generally be taken if a ground water violation is

found. In many cases, policy statements are

addressed to the

staff working on

implementation,

but they may also

be addressed to

the regulated

community.

RCRA: HOW IT WORKS

The three programs established under RCRA

— solid waste, hazardous waste, and USTs — are

described in detail in the following chapters. To

provide an overall perspective of how RCRA

works, each of these programs and their

interrelationships are briefly summarized here. In

this manual, the solid waste program (Subtitle D) is

discussed before the hazardous waste program

(Subtitle C). Although this is alphabetically out of

order, the structure is designed to benefit the

reader.

■ Subtitle D — Solid Waste

RCRA Subtitle D focuses on state and local

governments as the primary planning, regulating,

and implementing entities for the management of

nonhazardous solid waste, such as household

garbage and nonhazardous industrial solid waste.

EPA provides these state and local agencies with

information, guidance, policy and regulations

through workshops and publications to help states

and the regulated community make better

decisions in dealing with waste issues, to reap the

environmental and economic benefits of source

reduction and recycling of solid wastes, and to

require upgrading or closure of all environmentally

unsound disposal units. In order to promote the

use of safer units for solid waste disposal, EPA

developed federal criteria for the proper design

and operation of MSWLFs and other solid waste

disposal facilities. Many states have adopted these

criteria into their state solid waste programs.

■ Subtitle C — Hazardous Waste

RCRA Subtitle C establishes a federal program

to manage hazardous wastes from cradle to

grave. The objective of the Subtitle C program is

to ensure that hazardous waste is handled in a

manner that protects human health and the

environment. To this end, there are Subtitle C

regulations for the generation; transportation; and

treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous

wastes. In practical terms, this means regulating a

large number of hazardous waste handlers. As of

1996, EPA had on record more than 1,900

treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs);

23,000 transporters; and about 775,000

generators.

The Subtitle C program has resulted in

perhaps the most comprehensive regulations EPA

has ever developed. The regulations first identify

the criteria to determine which solid wastes are

hazardous, and then establish various

requirements for the three categories of hazardous

waste handlers: generators, transporters, and

Guidance = How to

Policy = Should do

POLICY

Statements developed by EPA

outlining a position on a topic or

giving instructions on how a

procedure should be conducted.
I-6

 SECTION I SECTION I Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

TSDFs. In addition, the Subtitle C regulations set

technical standards for the design and safe

operation of TSDFs. These standards are designed

to minimize the release of hazardous waste into

the environment. Furthermore, the regulations for

TSDFs serve as the basis for developing and issuing

the permits required by the Act for each facility.

Permits are essential to making the Subtitle C

regulatory program work, since it is through the

permitting process that EPA or a state applies the

technical standards to TSDFs.

One of the primary differences between

Subtitle C and Subtitle D is the type of waste each

regulates. Subtitle C regulates only hazardous

waste, a subset of solid waste, whereas Subtitle D

primarily manages nonhazardous solid waste.

■ Subtitle I — Underground Storage Tanks

RCRA Subtitle I regulates underground storage

tanks (USTs) that contain petroleum or hazardous

substances (as defined under CERCLA). A major

objective of Subtitle I is to prevent and clean up

releases from tanks. Under Subtitle I, EPA has

developed performance standards for new tanks,

upgrading requirements for existing tanks, and

regulations to prevent, detect, and clean up

releases at all UST sites. This program is similar to

the Subtitle C program in that state programs may

be approved to operate in lieu of the federal

program.

WHO IS INVOLVED IN RCRA?

The RCRA program involves a myriad of

people and organizations with varying

roles. Congress and the President set

overall national direction for the RCRA

program through amendments to the Act.

EPA, through its Office of Solid Waste

and Emergency Response (OSWER),

translates this direction into operating

programs by developing regulations,

guidance, and policy.

Site-specific implementation of the RCRA

program is the responsibility of the EPA Regions

and states. All three RCRA programs — hazardous

waste, solid waste, and USTs — have mechanisms

through which states can exercise key program

responsibilities. Initial federal responsibilities vary

among the different programs.

Under Subtitle D, EPA established minimum

criteria for MSWLFs and required each state to

gain approval for their MSWLF permitting program

through an approval process which ensures that

the state's program meets minimum federal

criteria. Most of the Subtitle D solid waste

program is overseen by the states and compliance

is assured through state-issued permits.

State involvement in the Subtitle C program is

similar to involvement in the Subtitle D program.

Under Subtitle C, in the authorization process,

EPA reviews a state’s hazardous waste program

and, if it is acceptable, grants the state authority to

run its program instead of EPA running the federal

program. States that have been authorized by EPA

to run their hazardous waste programs in lieu of

the federal program are known as authorized

states.

Under Subtitle I, EPA also allows state UST

programs to operate in lieu of the federal program

provided that a state’s regulatory provisions are at

least as stringent as the federal provisions.

The regulated community that must

understand and comply with RCRA and

its regulations is a large, diverse group. It

includes not only facilities typically

thought of as hazardous waste

generators, such as industrial

manufacturers, but also government

agencies and small businesses, such

as a local dry cleaner generating

small amounts of hazardous

solvents, or a gas station with

underground petroleum tanks.
I-7

Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SECTION I SECTION I

Lastly, the general public plays a key role in

RCRA by providing input and comments during

almost every stage of the program’s development

and implementation, through rulemaking

participation, comments on TSDF permits, and

political action.

RCRA TODAY

When RCRA was first enacted in 1976, EPA

was faced with a huge implementation task. The

bulk of the activity during the first few years

focused on developing basic regulations for the

management of both hazardous and

nonhazardous solid waste in order to provide

adequate protection of human health and the

environment. Now, most of these elementary

standards are in place, but the RCRA program has

not remained stagnant. EPA continues to measure

and analyze the program’s results to help identify

ways to make the RCRA program more efficient,

and new ways to achieve better, more costeffective protection of public health and the

environment.

■ Waste Minimization

EPA has devoted much

of its efforts in the past to

the treatment and cleanup

of pollutants after they are

generated, and in fact, great

strides have been made in

environmental protection over the past 20 years.

EPA realizes, however, that there are

environmental and economic incentives to

reducing or eliminating waste before it is even

generated. Both the RCRA solid and hazardous

waste programs have adopted waste minimization

elements. EPA uses the term waste minimization

to mean the reduction, to the extent feasible, of

solid and hazardous waste. Both programs

emphasize source reduction (reducing waste at its

source, before it is even generated) and

environmentally sound recycling.

In the text of HSWA, Congress specifically

declared that the reduction or elimination of

hazardous waste generation at the source should

be a priority of the RCRA hazardous waste

program. To encourage hazardous waste

minimization nationwide, EPA developed the

Waste Minimization National Plan. This initiative

promotes a long-term national effort to minimize

the generation of hazardous chemicals in wastes.

The goals of the National Plan include:

• Reducing the presence of the most persistent,

bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals in

hazardous wastes 25% by the year 2000, and

50% by the year 2005

• Emphasizing source reduction and

environmental source recycling over treatment

and disposal

• Preventing transfers of chemical releases from

one medium (air, water, land) to another.

EPA has also developed strategies and

priorities for encouraging source reduction

and recycling of nonhazardous solid waste

streams regulated by RCRA Subtitle D.

EPA envisions a flexible integrated waste

management hierarchy where source

reduction, recycling, waste combustion,

and landfilling all play a part in the

successful management of solid waste at

the local level. Source reduction and recycling are

preferred approaches and are at the top of the

management hierarchy. Waste combustion and

landfilling are less emphasized. In addition, to

expand the use of recovered materials, EPA has

developed the procurement program, which

establishes guidelines recommending that federal

agencies purchase products containing recycled

materials.

WASTE MINIMIZATION

Waste minimization is the

reduction, to the extent feasible,

of hazardous waste generated

prior to any treatment, storage,

or disposal of the waste.
I-8

 SECTION I SECTION I Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

■ Streamlining RCRA Regulation

EPA is currently identifying options to reinvent

the RCRA program by streamlining compliance

requirements. EPA’s reinvention philosophy

includes providing flexibility in how results are

achieved, sharing information and decisionmaking with all stakeholders, creating incentives

for compliance with environmental requirements,

lessening the burden of complying with

environmental requirements, and seeking a better

interface with other environmental regulations.

EPA is also placing an increasing emphasis on

making the RCRA hazardous waste program more

risk-based (i.e., ensuring that the regulations

correspond to the level of risk posed by the

hazardous waste being regulated). This approach

is particularly valuable for the cleanup of

contaminated sites. Placing excessive regulation

on sites whose contamination poses low risks to

human health and the environment may create

disincentives for cleanup. Focusing regulations on

risk would allow states greater flexibility in

determining the appropriate way to regulate sites

contaminated with relatively small quantities of

hazardous waste.

■ Subtitle C Federal/State Partnership

RCRA, like most federal environmental

legislation, encourages states to develop their own

hazardous waste programs as an alternative to

direct implementation of the federal program. At

the inception of RCRA, Congress envisioned that a

successful national program would be put in place

through joint action of the federal and state

governments — EPA would set national goals and

standards based on

the Agency’s

technical

expertise, and the

states would be

responsible for

implementing

those policies.

EPA is seeking to strengthen this federal/state

relationship by streamlining the authorization

process. Because EPA’s hazardous waste

regulations are developed in stages, EPA has a

phased approach to approving state programs.

Each state must either adopt the new regulations

or upgrade those elements of its program that do

not meet federal standards. The authorization

process is often long and cumbersome. EPA has

proposed streamlined procedures for these state

revisions to make the process quicker and more

efficient. These procedures will also help reduce

the amount of resources needed for preparing and

processing authorization applications, and will

speed up state implementation of additional parts

of the RCRA program.

■ Demonstrating Results

It is as important to determine whether these

protective environmental goals are actually being

achieved as it is to develop them in the first place.

Recognizing the importance of evaluating the

performance of all government agencies, including

EPA, Congress enacted the Government

Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 to

provide for the establishment of strategic planning

and performance measurement in the federal

government. The intent of GPRA is to improve

public confidence in federal agencies by holding

agencies accountable for achieving program

results.

EPA has adopted the GPRA framework by

developing an Agency-wide strategic plan that

encompasses all EPA offices and program areas.

The strategic plan contains several goals specific to

RCRA, such as preventing pollution, reducing risk

to humans and the environment, better waste

management, and restoration of contaminated

waste sites. As part of the requirements of GPRA,

EPA has also developed specific, quantifiable

objectives for each of these goals. Progress toward

these target objectives will be measured and

evaluated annually. This framework ensures that

EPA can evaluate the success of its different

programs and can demonstrate tangible results to

the general public.
I-9

Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SECTION I SECTION I

OUTLINE OF THE MANUAL OUTLINE OF THE MANUAL

The remainder of this manual details the three

RCRA programs briefly discussed in this

introduction. The manual also describes two

other components of RCRA: the federal

procurement and medical waste tracking

programs. In addition, the manual discusses the

interrelationships between RCRA’s Subtitle C

program and other environmental statutes, as well

as RCRA’s public participation provisions. To

supplement this technical description of the RCRA

regulatory program, the manual also contains

appendices that present important RCRA forms

and paperwork requirements, a glossary (for the

reader’s convenience, the terms that appear in

this glossary have been bolded throughout the

text), a list of acronyms and abbreviations, an

OSW organization chart, useful environmental

contacts, and a keyword index.

SUMMARY

RCRA was passed in 1976, as an amendment

to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, to ensure

that solid wastes are managed in an

environmentally sound manner. The broad goals

set by RCRA are:

• To protect human health and the environment

from the hazards posed by waste disposal

• To conserve energy and natural resources

through waste recycling and recovery

• To reduce or eliminate, as expeditiously as

possible, the amount of waste generated,

including hazardous waste

• To ensure that wastes are managed in a

manner that is protective of human health and

the environment.

To achieve the goals, three distinct yet

interrelated programs exist under RCRA:

• Subtitle D – The solid waste program

promotes and encourages the environmentally

sound management of solid waste. It includes

minimum federal technical standards and

guidelines for state solid waste plans.

• Subtitle C – The hazardous waste program

establishes a management system that

regulates hazardous waste from the time it is

generated until its ultimate disposal, in effect,

from cradle to grave.

• Subtitle I – The UST program regulates

underground tanks that contain petroleum or

hazardous substances (as defined under

CERCLA).

There are several components of RCRA:

• Act – The law that describes the kind of waste

management program that Congress wants to

establish. The Act also provides the

Administrator of EPA (or his or her designee)

with the authority to implement the Act.

• Regulations – The legal mechanism that

establishes standards or imposes requirements

as mandated by the Act. RCRA regulations

are promulgated by EPA, published in the

Federal Register, and codified in the CFR.

• Guidance – Documents developed and issued

by EPA to provide instructions on how to

implement requirements of either the Act or

regulations.

• Policy – Statements developed by EPA

outlining a position on a topic or giving

instructions on how a procedure should be

conducted.

RCRA continues to change with amendments

to the Statute. HSWA, in particular, significantly

expanded both the scope and detailed

requirements of the Act, especially in the context

of the land disposal of hazardous wastes. Many

parties are involved in developing and
I-10

 SECTION I SECTION I Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

implementing the RCRA program, including

Congress, EPA, states, regulated entities, and the

general public.

EPA continues to improve the RCRA program

by using measurable results to identify and

promote new initiatives, such as encouraging

waste minimization, improving the federal/state

partnership in the hazardous waste program, and

aiding state and local governments in reaping the

environmental and economic benefits of source

reduction and recycling.