Environmental Policy & Guidance
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
In 1965 the Solid Waste Disposal Act [Public Law (Pub. L.) 89-72] was enacted to improve solid waste disposal methods. It was amended in 1970 by the Resource Recovery Act (Pub. L. 91-512), which provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with funding for resource recovery programs. However, that Act had little impact on the management and ultimate disposal of hazardous waste. In 1976 Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA, Pub. L. 94-580). RCRA established a system for managing non-hazardous and hazardous solid wastes in an environmentally sound manner. Specifically, it provides for the management of hazardous wastes from the point of origin to the point of final disposal (i.e., "cradle to grave"). RCRA also promotes resource recovery and waste minimization.
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This page was last updated on December 20, 2006
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