United States
EnvironnwntaJ Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste
and Emorgoney Response
Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA/530-SW-88-011A
October 1588
Solid Waste
xr EPA Report to
Congress
Solid Waste Disposal
in the United States
Executive Summary
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Executive Summarv
Disposal of "nonhazardous" solid waste is regulated under Subtitle D
of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). These Subtitle D
wastes Include many different types of waste streams, such as municipal
solid waste, industrial waste, and oil and gas waste. Recently, concerns
have been raised regarding the impacts Subtitle D wastes may be having on
human health and the environment. In response to these concerns, Congress,
in the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to RCRA, directed the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the adequacy of the
current Subtitle D regulatory program. This report fulfills this mandate.
The report is published in two volumes. Volume I presents the
conclusions and recommendations of the Subtitle D study, and Volume II
contains the results of the data collection efforts. Because of data
availability, municipal solid waste landfills and the wastes they receive
are covered more completely than other facility and waste types. In
addition, oil and gas wastes, mining wastes, utility wastes, and municipal
sewage sludge are only briefly discussed because they are subjects of other
efforts currently being conducted by EPA.
Major Findings
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Subtitle D Waste Stream Is Large and D/Versg. More Than 11 Billion Tons of Subtitle D
Waste Are Produced Annually in the United States. Of this total more than
95 percent are industrial nonhazardous waste, oil and gas waste, mining
waste, and municipal solid waste. Each type of waste presents unique
management problems and risks.
There Are Manv Subtitle D Units Then, are 226,732 Subtitle D units in the United
States.; Eighty-four percent of this total are surface impoundments, 8
percent are land application units, 6 percent are landfills, and 2 percent
are industrial waste piles. Of the nearly 13,000 landfill units identified,
6,584 are municipal solid waste landfill units.
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Shortages of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Capacity Are Occurring in Some Areas of the Nation.
The shortages are due to several factors: (1) 83 percent of the municipal
solid waste generated in 1986 was landfilled; (2) 45 percent of all
municipal solid waste landfills will close by 1991; (3) some States have
not conducted long-term planning;-and (4) siting of new disposal facilities
Is difficult.
Impacts Have Been Identified For Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. These include:
• Municipal solid waste I landf51 Is have degraded and may continue to
degrade the environment.
• Human health -impacts from exposure to ground-water contamination
caused by municipal solid waste landfills have not been documented.
However, taken as a whole, the data indicate that releases to the
ground water from municipal solid waste landfills present potential
risks to human health.
• Acute human health impacts associated with methane releases have
been documented.
• The Agency is currently determining the extent of human health
risks that may result from emissions of volatile organic compounds.
• Indian Tribes perceive that municipal solid waste disposal is an
environmental problem on Indian lands.
Data Are Insufficient to Support A Conclusion Regarding Impacts At Industrial Subtitle D Facilities.
However, the limited available data on industrial Subtitle 0 facilities
indicate that there is cause for concern and a need for further study.
Current findings include: (1) the use of design controls at industrial
facilities is very limited; (2) the number of industrial facilities is
large and the amount of industrial nonhazardous waste generated annually
dwarfs the amount of municipal solid waste; and (3) violations of State
standards have been documented; EPA will be able to better define the
impacts of industrial waste facilities after additional data are available.
Several Subtitle D Waste Streams Pose Special Management Concerns. Waste tires,
infectious waste, and municipal waste combustion ash are examples of special
Subtitle D wastes. The special management concerns posed by these waste
streams arise.from the unique characteristics of these wastes. Current data
are not sufficient to estimate reliably the risks posed by these wastes.
Existing Federal and State Subtitle D Regulations Are Inadequate. Federal and some State
solid waste regulations lack the following essential requirements: location
criteria, appropriate design criteria, ground-water monitoring, corrective
action,, closure and post-closure care, and financial responsibility.
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State Implementation of State Regulations Is Inadequate The following State program
inadequacies were found: Incomplete enforcement authorities, fragmented
organization, limited resources, aftd a lack of long-term planning.
5/nce 1980. Very Limited Technical Assistance on Solid Waste Management Has Been Offered by the
Federal Government to State and Local Governments. The last Agency guidance document
on solid waste management was issued in 1979.
Recommendations
f PA Makes the Following General Recommendations:
• The roles established by RCRA for Federal, State, and local
governments should be continued, with responsibility for
implementing the Subtitle D program mostly with State and local
governments.
• An integrated waste management system including: source reduction,
recycling, energy recovery, and environmentally sound land disposal
for the residual wastes should be promoted.
• Coordination among Federal and State agencies and Indian Tribes is
needed to develop an appropriate strategy for solid waste
management on Indian lands.
• Data gaps, particularly for industrial waste facilities need to be
filled. Additional survey and characterization studies as well as
health risk assessments are necessary.
With Resoect to Federal Activities SPA Recommends the Following:
• The current Federal Subtitle D criteria should be revised for
municipal solid waste landfills.
• Technical assistance to States and local governments should be
increased and should include an emphasis on source reduction and
recycling.
• Subtitle D regulatory programs established by the Federal
government should be commensurate with risks posed by each waste
stream or facility type.
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For State and Local Programs, EPA Recommends the Followina:
• State and local governments should ensure the vitality of their
Subtitle D programs by establishing a dependable future source of
funding and strengthening enforcement authorities.
More long-term , planning for solid waste
conducted by State and local governments.
management should be
The States must quickly adopt the new Federal criteria for
municipal solid waste landfills, as required by the 1984 Hazardous
and Solid Waste Amendments.
EPA Recommends the Following Legislative Changes:
• EPA's authority for developing standards under Subtitle D for
closed sol id waste disposal facilities should be clarified.
• The definition of Indian Tribes under RCRA should be amended to
include provisions similar to those under the Safe Drinking Water
Act.
• Data are insufficient to indicate the need for any additional
enforcement 'authorities beyond those provided by HSWA for solid
waste disposal facilities that receive household hazardous waste
and smal1-quantity generator hazardous waste.
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