&EPA
              United States       Solid Waste and
              Environmental Protection  Emergency Response
              Agency          (5305)
                          EPA530-S-94-002
                              May 1994
RCRA Waste
Minimization
National Plan
Summary
              DRAFT
                           Recycled/Recyclable
                           Printed on paper that contains at
                           least 50% post-consumer recycled fiber

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SUMMARY OF DRAFT RCRA HAZARDOUS WASTE MINIMIZATION  NATIONAL  PLAN
     In launching the Draft RCRA Hazardous Waste  Minimization
National Plan, EPA will be focusing on a number of  specific
goals, including reducing the amount and toxicity of  hazardous
waste that is generated, particularly when such reductions lead
to benefits in more than one environmental media.   EPA will
achieve these goals through a variety of voluntary  and regulatory
programs.  EPA's overall goal of this plan,  in the  near term,  is
to achieve, nationally, a _ % reduction  (through  source reduction
and/or recycling) of highly toxic  and persistent  hazardous waste
that are currently combusted by the year 1997.  Over  the longer-
term, EPA's target is to achieve,  nationally, an  overall
reduction of _ %  (again, through source reduction and/or
recycling) of ^11 RCRA hazardous waste by the year  2000.   [EPA
will be taking comments on what the numeric  value of  these
reduction goals should be.  EPA believes that a stated goal  (or
goals) is necessary and will serve as a  focal point for all  who
have a role to play to adjust their level of commitment.]

     EPA  is releasing the Waste Minimization Plan in  draft form
in order  to seek  further  input  from the  various stakeholders
before finalizing the Plan.  Specific components  of the Draft
Plan are:

     o   scope of  the  Plan  - The Draft Plan has  both a short- term;
      and  longer-term  phase.  In the short-term,  EPA will address
      the  source  reduction  and  environmentally  sound recycling  of
      those  hazardous  wastes that  have the potential to be
      combusted  in either  boilers  and  industrial  furnaces (BIFs) ,
      or  hazardous waste  incinerators.

      A longer-term effort will  encompass all RCRA
      hazardous  wastes,  taking  a more  comprehensive  approach  to
      understanding how waste  is generated  and  managed in this
      country and the role waste minimization can  play as a
      principal  "mode of management."
o  Setting Priorities
                                Waste Minimization - EPA is
      focusing, initially, on those industrial processes that
      generate combustible hazardous wastes that contain toxic
      metals and/or halogens and will focus on a subset of such
      wastes that, when generated, have a "multi-media hazard and
      exposure potential."  EPA believes that this approach will
      promote source reduction of the most pervasive, toxic,
      persistent, and/or bioaccumulative wastes.

 17 — waste minimization, the term employed in the RCRA statute, is
 defined to  include both source reduction and certain types of
 environmentally  sound recycling.  Our highest priority is to
 achieve reductions through source reduction.  However, if tnis i=»
 not achievable,  then environmentally sound recycling is also an
 Agency priority.

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     o  Me-chanisms for Effecting Waste Minimization  -  Hazardous
     waste generators are quite diverse.  They  span  a  wide 'range
     of industrial sectors, are of varying size and  technological
     sophistication, and have/have not demonstrated  an intent to
     prevent pollution.  Rather than adopting one approach  for
     all generators, EPA will need to rely on different
     mechanisms that may be effective in achieving the goal of
     preventing pollution, ranging from regulatory to  non-
     regulatory.  Some specific mechanisms that  EPA  is
     considering include: a voluntary challenge  program, use of
     permits and enforcement settlements to encourage  pollution
     prevention, outreach, and training.   In addition, technical
     assistance is also an important mechanism and includes that
     provided by EPA's Office of Research and Development.

     EPA Headquarters will work closely with Regions and States
     to develop those mechanisms that would most effectively help
     achieve reductions in these wastes and- foster source
     reduction and environmentally sound recycling.   Many States
     and Regions have already implemented some of the  possible
     mechanisms, and will play a key role in helping to broaden
     the application of such mechanisms to other States and
     Regions.

     2—Implementation of Mechanisms - EPA intends to  serve
     primarily as an initiator and facilitator of this Draft
     Waste Minimization Plan by setting general goals,  reducing
     barriers, and better enabling States,  industry,  and the
     public to achieve •pollution prevention.   EPA seeks comments
     from all stakeholders on their views of the roles that
     States, EPA, industry,  and the public should play in
     implementation of this strategy.

     Given the diverse and proactive stance that many States and
industries have already taken,  EPA recognizes that this Draft
Plan will need to be flexible so that both States and industry
can continue their positive efforts.   This Plan will  build  on
existing State requirements and States will play a key role  in
any meaningful implementation.   At the same time, EPA intends for
this Plan to encourage those states and industries that have not
already begun to explore avenues for achieving source reduction
and environmentally sound recycling to do so.

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EXHIBIT 1
                                                 .
                                                 A
                      ESTABLISH: GOALS BASED ON RISK
                      AND DEFINE MEASURES OP SUCCESS
                  IDENTIFY INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES AND SECTORS
                   GENERATING  THE WASTESTREAMS  OF  CONCERN
               ARRAY MECHANISMS  TO ACHIEVE  WASTE  MINIMIZATION
                        Regulatory vs. non-regulatory
                                  Consider:
                  o    other  EPA initiatives  that are  relevant
                       to OSW'sj  stated goals
                  o    which  option(s) will result in  the
                       greatest  environmental benefits
                  o    resource  constraints for effective
                       outreach/implementation
                  o    our  sphere of  influence
                                IMPLEMENTATION
             Employ regulatory  development,  guidance,
             permitting, voluntary  challenge programs,  and
             coordinate with Regions,  States,  technical
             assistance centers to  both  implement  and develop
             measures  of success.
                         MEASURE PROGRESS BEING MADE

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