United States Solid Waste and
Environmental Protection Emergency Response EPA530-F-95-008
Agency (5305) March 1995
Office of Solid Waste
x°/EPA Environmental
Fact Sheet
Report to Congress on Flow Control
And Municipal Solid Waste
Background
Flow controls are legal provisions that allow state and local
governments to designate the places where municipal solid waste
(MSW) is taken for processing, treatment, or disposal. Because of flow
controls, designated facilities may hold monopolies on local MSW and/
or recoverable materials. Consequently, flow control has become a
heavily debated issue among state and local governments, the waste
management and recycling industries, and environmental groups.
In 1992, Congress directed the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to review flow control as it pertains to municipal solid waste
management. Specifically, Congress directed EPA to:
• Review and compare states with and without flow control
authority;
• Identify the impact of flow controls on human health and the
environment; and
• Describe the impacts of flow control on the development of state
and local waste management capacity, and on the achievement of
state and local goals set for source reduction, reuse, and
recycling.
Action
EPA's Report to Congress on Flow Control and Municipal Solid Waste
indicates that flow controls are an administratively efficient tool for
local governments to plan and fund solid waste management systems.
However, protection of human health and the environment is directly
related to the implementation and enforcement of federal, state, and
local environmental regulations rather than to the existence of flow
control measures. Data also indicate that flow control is not essential
for developing MSW management capacity, or for achieving recycling
goals.
The Agency examined flow control nation-wide, finding that 35
states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands authorize flow
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control directly. Four additional states authorize flow control through
mechanisms such as solid waste management plans and home rule
authority. Eleven states have no flow control authority. It is important
to recognize that the Report presents a national perspective on flow
control, and that the needs and objectives of state and local jurisdic-
tions may differ significantly from a national viewpoint. Factors such as
local waste generation rates, financial and market conditions,
demographics, and the local economy affect the planning and
implementation of local solid waste management systems.
More Information
The Executive Summary, the full Report, and this fact sheet are
available in electronic format on the Internet System through the EPA
Public Access Server at gopher.epa.gov. From the main menu, choose:
EPA Offices and Regions: then, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response (OSWER); finally, Office of Solid Waste/ Nonhazardous
Waste/Municipal Solid Waste/General
Additional information or free paper copies of the Executive
Summary (EPA530-S-95-008) may be obtained from the RCRA Hotline
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST. The national, toll-free
number is (800) 424-9346; TDD (800) 553-7672 (hearing impaired).
Paper copies of the full Report (EPA530-R-95-008) are available for a
fee from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at 1-703-
487-4650.
Copies of documents applicable to this Report may be obtained by
writing: RCRA Information Center (RIC), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Solid Waste (5305), 401 M Street SW, Washington,
D.C. 20460.
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