EPA
SW-663
year
EPA
• A •
activities
under the
Resource
Conservation and
Recovery
Act
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SW663
EPA
ACTIVITIES UNDER THE
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND
RECOVERY ACT OF 1976
Annual Report to the President and the Congress
Fiscal Year 1977
This report (SW-663) was compiled
by the Office of Solid Waste as required by Section 2005
of the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
(Public Law 94-580) and was delivered February 1,1978,
to the President and the Congress
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 1978
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An environmental protection publication in the solid waste management series (SW-663)
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\
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
i$ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
February 1, 1978
To the President and the Congress:
I am submitting herewith the Environmental Protection Agency's
first annual report on its activities under the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), Public Law 94-580. As required
in Section 2005, this report summarizes in detail the programs for
Fiscal Year 1977 and outlines solid waste problems, program objec-
tives, legislative considerations, and plans for Fiscal Year 1978.
Respectfully,
DOUGLAS M. COSTLE
Administrator
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Contents
Page
1. OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY 1
Solid Waste Problems 1
Growth in waste generation 2
Environmental effects 2
Siting of disposal facilities 3
Municipal collection and disposal costs ....... 4
Levels of resource recovery and waste reduction .... 4
Other problems affecting implementation of RCRA ... 4
Activities 5
Planning and development of State and local programs . . 5
Land disposal 6
Hazardous waste management 6
Resource recovery and waste reduction 7
Public participation and information activities 10
Other activities 11
Budget 11
Recommended Legislation 12
Conclusion 12
2. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF STATE
AND LOCAL PROGRAMS 13
Objectives 13
Programs 14
Guidelines for identification of regions and agencies ... 14
Guidelines for State plans 14
Technical assistance 15
Financial assistance 17
Problems 17
Plans for Fiscal Year 1978 17
3. LAND DISPOSAL 19
Objectives 19
Programs 20
Criteria for the classification of solid waste
disposal facilities 20
The inventory of open dumps 20
EPA policy on sludges 21
Technical assistance 21
Research, studies, demonstrations 22
Problems : . . . 24
Development of expertise in new areas 24
The inventory of open dumps 25
iv
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Page
Recommendations for Legislation 25
Plans for Fiscal Year 1978 26
4. HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT 27
Objectives 28
Programs 28
Regulatory programs 28
Defining a hazardous waste 29
Standards for generators 30
Standards for transporters 30
Regulations for treatment, storage, and disposal ... 31
Permit system 32
Notification system 33
Environmental and economic impact assessment ... 33
State hazardous waste programs 34
Enforcement activities 35
Data base development 36
Technical assistance 38
Problems '. 39
Resources for implementation 39
Insufficient capacity and public opposition 39
Toxicity testing 40
Plans for Fiscal Year 1978 40
5. RESOURCE RECOVERY AND WASTE REDUCTION 42
Objectives 44
Programs 45
Guidelines 45
Beverage containers 45
Source separation 45
Resource recovery facilities 45
Federal procurement 46
Technical assistance . 46
Research, demonstrations, studies 47
Resource Conservation Committee 49
Interagency agreement with Department of Commerce . . 51
Problems 51
Demonstration program 51
Markets 51
Resource Conservation Committee 51
Technical assistance panels 51
Recommendations for Legislation 52
Plans for Fiscal Year 1978 52
6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND INFORMATION ACTIVITIES . . 54
Objectives 54
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Page
Programs 55
Public participation 55
Guidelines on public participation 55
Information programs 55
Citizen education grants , 55
Plans for Fiscal Year 1978 57
7. BRIEF REPORTS FROM THE EPA REGIONAL OFFICES ... 62
APPENDIX: EPA Publications on RCRA and Solid Waste Management,
Fiscal Year 1977 72
VI
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Chapter 1
Overview and Summary
The 1976 amendments to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, titled the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), mandate national action for the first time against solid waste
management practices that lead to environmental and public health hazards. They also seek to
promote resource recovery and conservation as waste management options. The main provisions
of RCRA for achieving these goals are as follows:
• Federal financial and technical assistance to State and local governments is authorized
for planning and development of comprehensive solid waste management programs that
include environmental controls on all land disposal of solid wastes, regulation of hazard-
ous wastes from point of generation through disposal, and resource recovery and con-
servation activities.
• Such State programs would include schedules for upgrading or closing all environmentally
unacceptable land disposal sites ("open dumps") identified according to EPA criteria
and a nationwide inventory. Open dumping is prohibited except as covered by an
acceptable schedule for compliance under the State plan.
• Where States do not establish hazardous waste regulatory programs that meet Federal
standards, EPA will administer regulatory control.
• A Cabinet-level interagency study of resource conservation policies is mandated; findings
and recommendations are to be submitted periodically to the President and the Congress.
• Public participation is required in the development of all regulations, guidelines, and pro-
grams under the Act.
• Research, demonstrations, studies, and information activities related to a wide range of
solid waste problems are authorized.
This report, prepared as required under Section 2005 of the law, describes the activities of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during fiscal year 1977 in carrying out the mandates
and authorizations of RCRA. Following this overview and summary, the activities related to State
and local program development, the land disposal provisions, hazardous waste regulation, resource
recovery and waste reduction, and public participation and information are covered in greater de-
tail (Chapters 2-6). Brief reports from the EPA Regional Offices have been compiled in Chapter 7
to give a better indication of how implementation of RCRA is being carried out in the Regions.
Finally, a list of reports and publications issued during the year is appended.
SOLID WASTE PROBLEMS
RCRA represents a response to the problems of solid waste as described in Section 1002. Data
that have become available in the year since October 1976 further substantiate and, in some cases,
intensify previous characterizations of solid waste problems.
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Growth in Waste Generation
On the basis of surveys of 14 industry groups, EPA estimates that industrial wastes generated
in 1977 totaled about 344 million metric tons. About 10 percent of this may fall in the "hazardous
waste" category-wastes requiring special safeguards in handling and disposal because of the sub-
stantial danger they pose to health and the environment. Industrial waste generation is growing at
a rate of about 3 percent per year. An increasing percentage of the waste is resulting from pollution
control processes. Thus the more stringent controls on discharge of pollutants to the air and water
constitute a prime source of the overall increase in these wastes to be disposed of on land.
The generation of municipal solid waste (residential and commercial refuse) is also increasing.
It is estimated that around 130 million metric tons of such waste were generated in 1976. The
projected figure for 1985 is 180 million metric tons, based on present trends and policies.
Another category of waste, municipal wastewater treatment sludge, is currently being generated
at the rate of roughly 5 million tons (dry weight) per year by the nation's 18,000 municipal waste-
water treatment plants. This amount will probably double in the next 8 or 10 years as communities
upgrade wastewater treatment to meet pollution control standards.
In addition, billions of tons of mining and agricultural wastes are disposed of on the land
each year.
Environmental Effects
Hazardous Wastes. EPA now has on file over 400 case studies of damages—acute or chronic
injuries to health, environmental pollution, and economic losses—resulting from improper hazardous
waste management. It is clear from the haphazard way in which most of these incidents have come
to light that the majority of such incidents have gone unreported. The damages observed to result
from land disposal of hazardous wastes have occurred through six major routes: ground water
contamination via leachate; surface water contamination via runoff; air pollution via open burning,
evaporation, sublimation, and wind erosion; poisoning via direct contact; poisoning via the food
chain; and fire and explosions.
Of the damage incidents related to hazardous waste disposal that have been documented by
EPA, the majority relate to ground-water contamination. An EPA study to investigate the presence
of ground-water contamination resulting from subsurface migration of hazardous constituents of
land-disposed industrial wastes was completed in 1977. Of the 50 sites sampled, 43 showed migra-
tion of heavy metals and/or organic chemicals into ground water.
It is estimated that up to 90 percent of industrial hazardous waste is being disposed of by the
same methods that have produced the damages documented to date. There can be no doubt that
controls such as those required by RCRA are needed to assure that generators, transporters, dis-
posers, and others involved in the management of hazardous wastes take the precautions necessary
to protect public health and the environment.
Other Wastes. Indiscriminate disposal on land of virtually any type of waste can lead to
environmental damages; water pollution from leachate or surface runoff is the prime concern.
The extent of the ground-water contamination problem was made clear by findings of the EPA
survey and study carried out pursuant to Section 1442 (a)(4) of the Safe Drinking Water Act and
reported to Congress in January 1977. The study found that "Waste disposal practices have con-
taminated ground water on a local basis in all parts of the nation and on a regional basis in many
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heavily populated and industrialized areas .... Nationally, the principal sources of ground water
contamination related to waste disposal practices are industrial wastewater impoundments and
solid waste land disposal sites."
The importance of protecting ground water quality is indicated by other statements in the
report: "Half of the population of the United States is served by ground water .... The use of
ground water is increasing at a rate of 25 percent per decade .... Removing the source of contami-
nation does not clean up the aquifer once contaminated. The contamination of an aquifer can
rule out its usefulness as a drinking water source for decades and possibly centuries."
Environmental hazards of improper land disposal of municipal solid waste also include the
lateral migration and concentration to dangerous levels of methane from landfills, the breeding of
disease vectors, and air pollution from open burning. Often of major concern to local residents
are the nuisance factors of poorly managed sites—the general appearance, the litter, odors, traffic
congestion.
Although no precise data exist on the current disposition of municipal sludge, it is estimated
that roughly half is being landfilled or spread on land surfaces, with the rest being incinerated or
disposed of in the ocean. The improper landfilling of municipal sludge can result in the degradation
of ground and surface waters with heavy metals, toxic organics, pathogens, and nitrates. Without
adequate controls, surface land application, particularly on agricultural lands, may pose a threat
to public health, crop growth, and wildlife due to the effects of heavy metals, pathogens, and
toxic organics.
The task of upgrading land disposal practices is immense—it has been estimated that there are
approximately 20,000 general refuse sites, 23,000 sludge disposal sites, and 50,000 surface impound-
ments for industrial waste. In addition, there are many thousands of industrial dumps and landfills,
mining waste piles, and other types of disposal sites. Most States have permit systems only for
municipal solid waste disposal sites; around 20 percent of such sites meet existing State requirements.
Siting of Disposal Facilities
It is apparent from the experiences of communities across the nation that most people prefer
to have waste disposal or processing facilities located some place other than their part of town, or
perhaps, as in the case of hazardous waste facilities, some part of the country other than their own
State. This aversion is based in part on the record of undesirable disposal practices ranging from
those that merely offend the eye to those that severely threaten public health through toxic and
persistent chemicals.
Disposal sites have typically been located in places considered not valuable for other purposes.
Many such places—marshes and ravines, for example—are likely to become a source of water
pollution when used for waste disposal and therefore will not be considered environmentally ac-
ceptable under the criteria to be established under RCRA. While in one sense the law thus adds
to the siting problem by imposing new restrictions, it should also assure environmentally safe and
acceptable practices and thereby provide the basis for a positive public view of disposal facilities
as nonthreatening and necessary services. This is a goal which must be worked toward through
the clear demonstration of sound planning and practices, through public education, and through
public participation in State and local decision-making. Meanwhile, siting will continue to be a
very difficult task in many areas. Some of the special exigencies with regard to siting of hazardous
waste treatment and disposal facilities are noted in Chapter 4.
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Municipal Collection and Disposal Costs
The direct costs to local governments of collection and disposal of municipal solid waste
alone exceed $4 billion a year. The average cost per ton is estimated at approximately $30. Col-
lection costs account for around three-quarters of this, but in many urban areas disposal costs are
also high because nearby disposal sites are being used up, new sites are difficult to establish, and
expensive long hauls to distant sites are common. It is expected that the upgrading of land disposal
practices to a level that is environmentally acceptable will add considerably to disposal costs for
many communities. This may constrain the upgrading process, but it will also provide an added
incentive for undertaking resource recovery.
Levels of Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction
Reducing waste generation and increasing the recovery of resources would lessen the problems
associated with waste disposal and the adverse environmental effects which accompany the entire
cycle of material production and use, as well as conserve energy and materials. However, national
attitudes, habits, and policies based on high consumption of virgin resources have been inimical
to the development of resource conservation measures, particularly as they apply to the post-
consumer waste stream. As a result we have a high rate of municipal solid waste generation (about
1,300 pounds per person per year) and a low rate of resource recovery (about 6 percent of muni-
cipal solid waste). It has been estimated that through source separation methods alone the amount
recovered could be tripled.
EPA's Fourth Report to Congress on Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction (August 1977)
described the explicit and implicit public policies and shortcomings in our market pricing system
that bias the system in favor of virgin materials and against secondary materials. These include
Federal policies stimulating natural resource development; historical disregard for environmental
degradation, leading to failure to reflect the full social costs of production in prices of materials
and fuels; institutional factors that typically obscure and understate the costs of waste collection
and disposal; and Federal policies that may adversely affect resource recovery, such as prejudicial
labeling for secondary materials and freight rates that may favor virgin materials.
As noted above, the provisions in RCRA to end the cheap disposal options that ignore en-
vironmental costs help to right one of the imbalances that handicap the growth of resource recovery.
The interagency Resource Conservation Committee's mandate to study and make recommendations
regarding present and proposed policies affecting resource conservation (Section 8002 G)) is another
step that could lead to major improvements in economic conditions for resource recovery and waste
reduction.
The cause of resource recovery could be furthered also by improvement in the methods and
technology for recovery that are now available to communities. Increased Federal efforts are neces-
sary to bring about the full development of a range of effective options from which communities
can select those that fit their markets, waste volumes, finances, and other circumstances.
Other Problems Affecting Implementation of RCRA
Obviously all of the above problems affect RCRA implementation. The siting of processing
and disposal facilities, particularly, is a crucial matter for hazardous waste regulation and the States'
efforts fo upgrade land disposal. There are in addition several problems that are related more
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specifically to implementation activities. These include: the needs of States for resources to
implement programs for hazardous waste regulation, upgrading of land disposal, and resource con-
servation; the specific areas, such as toxicity testing of hazardous waste, where knowledge is lacking
and must be developed in order to fully support the regulatory and technical assistance program;
and the magnitude of the task of evaluating all land disposal sites and what this implies in terms of
time and resources required. Such problems, which are more readily perceived in relation to a
discussion of the programs, are described as part of the following chapters.
ACTIVITIES
Planning and Development of State and Local Programs
RCRA mandates actions by EPA to assist in the planning and development of comprehensive
State and local programs. Such programs would include hazardous waste regulation, environmental
controls on all land disposal, and resource recovery and conservation. Overall objectives for the
fiscal year with regard to State and local planning and development were to (1) promulgate guide-
lines for identification of regions and agencies for solid waste management as required under Section
4002 (a); (2) begin preparing the guidelines for State solid waste planning and implementation as
required under Section 4002 (b); (3) deliver technical assistance to State and local governments in
all areas of solid waste management and organize a program for technical assistance panels that
will operate from the Regional Offices (Section 2003); and (4) prepare a program of Federal
financial support to State and local governments (Sections 3011 and 4007).
The guidelines for identification of regions and agencies for solid waste management were
published in interim form on May 16, 1977. The EPA Regional Offices, with support from head-
quarters, are assisting the States and local officials to implement these guidelines. The guidelines
for State plans are now under development. They will incorporate the minimum requirements
set forth in Section 4003, including the prohibition of new open dumps and provisions for the
closing or upgrading of all existing open dumps.
The program of Resource Conservation and Recovery Panels required under Section 2003 to
provide technical assistance to State and local governments will begin in fiscal year 1978. It will be
managed by the Regional Offices with headquarters support and coordination. State and local
governments will have available.to them panels of personnel headed by EPA technical specialists
and including consultants and officials of other State and local governments. Assistance will be
available for all areas of solid waste management, including land disposal, hazardous waste manage-
ment, and resource recovery, with emphasis on the major tasks and problems in the fulfillment of
RCRA objectives.
The planning aids in solid waste management recently developed by EPA include WRAP
(Waste Resources Allocation Program), a modeling tool for regional solid waste management
planning.
Federal financial assistance for State solid waste management programs totaled $3 million
in fiscal year 1977; in fiscal 1978, such aid will total $14.3 million.
Plans for 1978 in assisting State and local program planning and development include: pro-
mulgation of the guidelines for State plans; completion of the process of identifying regions and
agencies for solid waste management; establishment of the program of technical assistance panels;
a study of manpower and training needs; and, pending availability of funds, preparation of a grant
program to assist rural communities (Section 4009).
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Land Disposal
Several requirements are set forth in the Act with the aim of eliminating environmentally
unacceptable land disposal practices through the State solid waste programs. EPA objectives for
the fiscal year in this area were to (1) develop criteria for the classification of land disposal sites
as environmentally acceptable or not acceptable (Section 4004); (2) plan for the inventory of land
disposal sites (Section 4005); (3) continue development of overall EPA policy on municipal and
industrial sludge management; (4) provide technical assistance to State and local governments;
(5) continue development of the data base for economical and environmentally safe processing
and disposal of solid waste; and (6) undertake the required studies on solid waste cleanup in Alaska,
management of mining wastes, and sludge management.
The criteria for classification of solid waste disposal sites are crucial, since they will be the
standards for judging whether a site is environmentally acceptable or is unacceptable and must be
closed or upgraded. In developing the criteria special efforts are being made to obtain and respond
to input from all interested sectors of the public and levels of government. Because of the diffi-
culties in setting such criteria for the nation and the need to confer extensively within and outside
the agency, promulgation will be delayed until the summer of 1978.
Plans are being laid for the inventory of open dumps, which EPA is required to publish within
1 year of the issuance of the criteria. To prepare a complete inventory, over 100,000 sites will have
to be evaluated. This will take longer than 1 year, and a phased inventory seems to be the feasible
approach to the task. Bureau of the Census is assisting on planning the inventory. The States will
inspect and evaluate the sites with EPA financial and technical assistance.
As part of the overall EPA effort to formulate policy on municipal and industrial sludge, a
municipal sludge strategy paper is under preparation; it will be made available for public comment
in early 1978. A decision guide for local officials on municipal sludge management is also being
prepared.
The Office of Solid Waste has been studying the experiences of communities in attempting
to establish new land disposal sites in order to share the observations with other communities. An
example of successful siting in California was described in a report published in 1977.
The required studies on solid waste cleanup in Alaska, mining wastes, and residual sludges are
in progress. In addition there is a wide range of ongoing studies and demonstration projects being
conducted by the Office of Research and Development and the Office of Solid Waste. Some major
subject areas are: waste characteristics, pollutant transport following land disposal, pollutant con-
trol and treatment, codisposal of different types of wastes, remedial action at inoperative disposal
sites found to be environmentally unsound, and land application of municipal sludge.
Plans for fiscal year 1978 include: promulgation of the land disposal criteria; initiation of
the inventory process; development of guidelines on land disposal pursuant to Section 1008; a
program to develop a data base on industrial disposal facilities; completion of the required studies
on solid waste cleanup in Alaska, sludge, and mining wastes; and continuation of other research
and demonstration activities.
Hazardous Waste Management
EPA activities relating to hazardous waste management were directed toward the following
objectives in fiscal year 1977: (1) development of the standards, regulations, and systems required
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under Subtitle C; (2) encouragement of State implementation of authorized regulatory programs
and development of guidelines for such programs; (3) technical assistance to governments, industries,
etc.; (4) development of the technical and economic data base for the regulations and for technical
assistance; (5) facilitation of expansion of the hazardous waste management service industry; and
(6) promotion of resource conservation and recovery.
Development of the regulations, systems, and guidelines is progressing; issuance of the regula-
tions will be delayed past the 18-month period specified in the Act (see table).
How many States will seek EPA authorization to implement their own programs will not be
clearly indicated until 1978. A number of them have begun developing programs which may be
sufficient for authorization by 1978. The adequacy of Federal funds available to support these
programs will be a major factor in the level of State implementation.
EPA's Office of Enforcement is developing policy and procedures regarding the monitoring
of hazardous waste management facilities for compliance with Subtitle C regulations. A task force
has been established to assist in formulating criteria for compliance monitoring and the procedures
for initiating enforcement actions.
The data base for the program is being developed through assessment of damage resulting
from improper hazardous waste management; evaluation of various waste management alternatives
for adequacy in detoxifying the wastes, immobilizing hazardous constituents, or promoting resource
recovery; and analysis of the costs of improper waste disposal and of proper techniques to determine
economic impacts.
During the year thousands of requests for technical assistance on hazardous waste management
were filled by the headquarters staff and the Regional Offices. Ten workshops were held around
the country for State and local officials on sources of technical information. Preparation of the
State Decision-Makers Guide for Hazardous Waste Management was completed.
For fiscal year 1978, completion of the development of the standards, regulations, and guide-
lines is foremost on the agenda. Data base development and technical assistance activities will
continue. A number of new projects to support implementation of the regulatory program will be
undertaken.
Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction
The integration of resource recovery and conservation into the State and local solid waste
programs is a major objective of RCRA. In addition a number of activities authorized under the
Act are directed toward stimulating development of the field of resource recovery and conservation—
the policies, program options, opportunities, methods, and technologies. The objectives for fiscal
year 1977 with regard to these latter activities were: (1) implementation at Federal facilities of
guidelines, issued in 1976, for source separation, for beverage container deposits, and for resource
recovery facilities; (2) preparation of guidelines for Federal procurement of products made from
recycled materials (Section 6002); (3) technical assistance in implementing resource recovery
systems; (4) development of knowledge and technology through research, demonstrations, and
studies; and (5) organizing of the interagency Resource Conservation Committee, submission of
the Committee's work* program to the President and Congress, and implementation of this program
(Section 8002).
The Guidelines for Beverage Containers require that a refundable 5-cent deposit be placed on
all containers for beer and soft drinks sold at Federal facilities to encourage the return of the
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RCRA REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES ISSUED OR IN PREPARATION
(AS OF JANUARY 17, 1978)
Section
of the Act
1008
3001
3002
3003
3004
3005
3006
3010
4002(a)
4002(b)
Description
Solid waste management
guidelines
Identification and listing
of hazardous waste
Standards for generators
of hazardous waste
Standards for transporters
of hazardous waste
Standards for owners and
operators of hazardous
waste treatment, storage,
and disposal facilities
Permits for treatment,
storage, or disposal of
hazardous waste
Guidelines for develop-
ment of State hazardous
waste programs
Notification system
regulations
Guidelines for identification
of regions and agencies for
solid waste management
Guidelines for State plans
Statutory
deadline
October 1977
and time to
time thereafter
April 1978
April 1978
April 1978
April 1978
April 1978
April 1978
—
April 1977
April 1978
Schedule for issuance*
The first guidelines will be on land disposal
practices; present plan is to issue these in
1978 after the land disposal criteria are
determined (Section 4004)
Publication in proposed form planned for
March 1978. Proposed test protocol for
toxic wastes will be published separately in
June 1978.t
Publication in proposed form planned for
March 1978.t
Publication in proposed form planned for
February 1978.t
Publication in proposed form planned for
April 1978.t
Publication in proposed form planned for
April 1978.t
Publication in proposed form planned for
January 1978; final in May 1978.
Publication in proposed form planned for
February 1978; final in June 1978.
Interim guidelines published May 16, 1977.
Publication in proposed form planned for
4004 Criteria for classification
of disposal facilities
6002 Guidelines for procurement
practices
7002 Prior notice of citizen suits
7004 Public participation guide-
lines
•t Interim regulations to
implement the Resource
Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1967; Grants and
other financial assistance
March 1978, with final guidelines in June 1978.
October 1977 Publication in proposed form planned for
January 1978, with final regulations about
August 1978.
— Publication in proposed form planned for
October 1978, with final guidelines in
January 1979.
— Proposed regulations published July 20,1977;
final regulations published October 21,1977.
- Interim guidelines published January 12,1978.
Interim regulations published October 20,1977.
Schedules for issuance of guidelines and regulations that are in preparation are subject to considerable change.
fPublication in final form of regulations under Sections 3001-3005 will take place at one time, since they must be
consistent and coordinated with each other. Such publication will take place 3-5 months following publication of all
the proposed rules under these Sections.
^Financial assistance provisions.
8
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containers for refilling or recycling. A test of the guidelines was successfully conducted in 1976 at
Yosemite National Park. The Department of Defense is testing the guidelines at 10 military bases.
In July 1977 the National Park Service began implementing the guidelines.
The Guidelines for Source Separation for Materials Recovery mandate the recovery of high-
grade paper, newsprint, and corrugated boxes from designated Federal facilities. Prototype systems
are being started in major Federal buildings in each Region and selected military bases.
The Guidelines on Resource Recovery Facilities require Federal agencies to establish or use
resource recovery plants if they are involved in the disposal of solid waste to the degree described
in the guidelines. The agencies are encouraged to enter into joint resource recovery ventures among
themselves and with nearby communities to maximize economies of scale. The guidelines are thus
intended to stimulate regional planning. The majority of facilities affected are Department of Defense
installations.
Under Section 6002 of RCRA, Federal procuring agencies are required to procure items com-
posed of the highest percentage of recovered materials practicable. EPA is charged with preparing
guidelines to assist agencies in complying with this provision. Meetings are being held with the
agencies, manufacturers, and other members of the public to obtain information and opinions
relevant to these guidelines.
Intensive technical assistance was provided during the year to 30 communities who are con-
sidering or planning and implementing resource recovery systems. To provide local officials and
others an opportunity to review and discuss resource recovery technology implementation, a 2-day
seminar was presented in five cities to over 800 people. Also, a series of eight Resource Recovery
Plant Implementation Guides for municipal officials was completed and widely distributed.
Several major resource recovery technology demonstrations supported by EPA are in progress:
the pyrolysis projects in Baltimore and San Diego, a project in Delaware to use refuse-derived fuel
as a supplemental fuel in oil-fired powerplant boilers, and a project to recover methane from a
landfill in Mountain View, California. Detailed evaluations are also being conducted of other
systems. Multimaterial source separation is being demonstrated with EPA assistance in two Mas-
sachusetts communities with positive results during a year and a half of operation. The Office of
Research and Development is conducting a number of projects to develop new recovery processes,
optimize existing processes, and find new uses for recovered materials. ORD has also contracted
for the studies required by RCRA on composition of the waste stream, priorities in research, source
separation and other small-scale systems, and compatibility of source separation with mixed-waste
processing systems.
The interagency Resource Conservation Committee submitted its first report, which was a
plan for implementing the Committee's mandate, to the President and the Congress on June 9, 1977.
The program has been accelerated at the President's request so that the Committee will now make
recommendations regarding the solid waste disposal charge concept in early 1978; a report on
beverage container deposit legislation is also in preparation.
An interagency agreement is being drawn up between the Department of Commerce and EPA
on implementation of RCRA since cooperative action between the two agencies is required under
several provisions of the Act.
In fiscal year 1978, EPA activities in resource recovery and waste reduction will include: con-
tinued monitoring of and assistance in Federal implementation of the beverage container, source
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separation, and resource recovery guidelines; preparation of the procurement guidelines; technical
assistance activities; completion of the required studies on composition of the waste stream, research
priorities, small-scale and low-technology systems; startup of other required studies on glass and
plastics, tires, and resource recovery facilities; new projects to evaluate operating resource recovery
systems; continued monitoring of demonstrations and studies in progress; and completion of the
study program of the Resource Conservation Committee, with interim reports in the spring and
fall of 1978.
Public Participation and Information Activities
In accordance with the requirements of Sections 7004 and 8003 for public participation and
information activities, the main objectives in 1977 were to (1) inform the public of the provisions
of RCRA and their implications; (2) quickly provide opportunities for public participation in
implementation of the Act; (3) develop the guidelines for public participation; and (4) continue
the programs in preparation and distribution of information materials, citizen education grants,
and literature search and library services.
EPA developed a variety of information materials about the Act—summaries, news releases,
TV-radio public service announcements, fact sheets, reprints of speeches. The printed materials
were widely distributed and provided in bulk to States and local governments who requested such
material for distribution.
The public participation program began in December 1976 with public meetings in Washington,
D.C., and all the Regions to discuss RCRA and its implications. Subsequent meetings, hearings,
and workshops were scheduled in accordance with the development of the Act's key provisions.
By the end of the fiscal year, approximately 100 meetings had been held across the country to
obtain public input regarding one or more aspects of RCRA implementation.
Development of the guidelines on public participation is nearly completed; publication is ex-
pected in January 1978.* They will apply to EPA components and to State and local agencies
receiving financial assistance under the Act. They require public participation in the decision-
making process through various types of meetings, advisory and review groups, and educational
programs that would enable the public to become aware of the significance of the technical informa-
tion upon which decisions hinge.
With the aid of EPA grants, environmental, consumer, civic, and other groups are carrying
out public education programs whereby citizens can gain understanding of the issues in RCRA
implementation and solid waste management and therefore participate constructively in the decision-
making processes. For fiscal year 1977, four such grants totaling $215,000 were awarded.
A wide range of technical and general information materials were produced and distributed
during the year (see Appendix for list of publications).
Over 900 literature searches were conducted by the computerized Solid Waste Information
Retrieval System (SWIRS), a service available to the public. Abstracts of articles and documents
from the world's literature on solid waste management are continually added to the data bank;
about 5,800 abstracts were added during the fiscal year. The SWIRS library containing the abstracted
documents is available to the public through the interlibrary loan system.
*Published January 12,1978, Federal Register, 43:1902.
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In fiscal year 1978, implementation of the public participation guidelines will be a major
effort. As the emphasis shifts from development of regulations and guidelines to implementation
in the States, the level of public participation and the need for educational programs and materials
will increase; expanded efforts are planned in all these areas.
Other Activities
Grant Regulations. Regulations containing the procedures and policies by which EPA will
award grants to eligible agencies and organizations under Subtitles C, D, G, and H of RCRA were
developed and scheduled for publication in interim form in October 1977.' The regulations
establish the responsibilities within EPA for the approval and awarding of grants and the policies
to be followed by the various levels of government in administering funds appropriated under the
authorities of RCRA.
Citizen Suit'Regulations. Section 7002 of RCRA authorizes the commencement of suits by
private citizens to enforce the Act. Regulations outlining the procedures to be followed and pres-
cribing the information to be supplied in order to meet the notification requirements of the pro-
visions were proposed in the Federal Register on July 20, 1977 (42:37214), with promulgation
scheduled for October 1977.$
BUDGET
In EPA the Office of Solid Waste (OSW) has lead responsibility for the development under
RCRA of all regulations and guidelines and establishment of basic policies for technical and
financial assistance, public participation, and a number of other programs. The Office of Research
and Development (ORD) is responsible for research and development projects, including most of
the studies required under Subtitle H. The Office of Enforcement is responsible for the enforce-
ment aspects of the hazardous waste regulatory program. The EPA Regional Offices have main
responsibility for working with the States on RCRA implementation and providing technical
assistance. Many other parts of EPA have supportive and cooperative roles in RCRA implementation.
The budget for fiscal year 1977 for the Office of Solid Waste had already been determined
when RCRA was passed. In order to make funds available to get implementation underway, funds
were reprogrammed from other efforts. The total EPA budget for solid waste activities was approx-
imately $17 million for 1977 (see table).
Real increases for RCRA implementation will occur in fiscal year 1978. The expected 1978
budget for EPA's solid waste activities will more than double to approximately $40 million. The
most significant increases are for OSW, up $7 million, and for the State and local grant funds, up
$ 11 million. ORD has an increase of $3 million. The Office of Solid Waste will receive an increase
of 30 positions.
t Published October 20,1977, Federal Register, 42:56050.
^Published October 21,1977, Federal Register, 42:56114.
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EPA SOLID WASTE BUDGET ESTIMATES
FOR FISCAL YEARS 1977 AND 1978
Office
Office of Solid
Waste
Office of Research
and Development
Office of Enforce-
ment
Regional Offices
State/local grants
Total
$ (Millions)
$ 8.2
4.2
0.1
1.8
2.9
$17.3
1977
Positions
107
23
2
60
-
192
1978
$ (Millions)
$14.8
7.7
1.1
2.2
14.3
$40.1
Positions
137
21
5
66
-
229
RECOMMENDED LEGISLATION
Recommendations for legislation deemed necessary or desirable to assist in solving solid waste
problems are to be included in this annual report, according to Section 2005.
EPA is preparing a package of proposed amendments to RCRA. It is expected that they will
be sent to Congress shortly for consideration in the 1978 legislative session. Many of the proposed
amendments amount to minor corrections and improvements, but some are substantive. Two of
the more substantive proposals, to extend funding authorization at least 2 years to assure States of
financial assistance in closing open dumps, and to allow for orderly phasing of the open-dump
inventory, are discussed as part of Chapter 3.
CONCLUSION
Fiscal year 1977 was devoted largely to the development of guidelines, regulations, and systems-
the Federal program machinery prescribed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for
attacking the major solid waste problems of the nation. The account of activities thus far shows
substantial progress, although delays will occur in meeting a number of the deadlines.
As EPA completes many of its initial tasks in 1978, State and local governments will begin
implementing the results of these tasks. This is in fact the most significant level of implementation,
and EPA's main focus will soon be on assisting State and local efforts to build solid waste programs
that meet RCRA's goals of environmental protection and resource conservation.
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Chapter 2
Planning and Development
of State and Local Programs
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act authorizes Federal technical and financial assis-
tance to State, regional, and local authorities for planning and implementation of comprehensive
solid waste management programs pursuant to Federal guidelines. Main elements of comprehensive
State programs would include regulation of hazardous wastes, environmental controls on land dispo-
sal of all solid wastes covered by the Act, resource recovery and conservation measures, and public
participation and information activities. This chapter describes EPA activities to implement the over-
all planning provisions and the technical and financial assistance programs; the following chapters
will deal with specific areas of activity of State and local programs.
To encourage planning on a regional basis, RCRA requires issuance of EPA guidelines within 6
months of enactment (i.e., by April 21, 1977) on identification of areas that are appropriate units
for such planning (Section 4002 (a)). Within 6 months of the issuance of the guidelines, the Governors,
in consultation with local elected officials, are to formally identify regions; within 6 months of that,
State and local officials will jointly identify the agencies that will develop and implement the State
solid waste management plan, specifying which agencies are responsible for which functions (Section
4006).
EPA is required to issue guidelines by April 1978 on the development and implementation of
the State solid waste management plans (Section 4002 (b)). To qualify for Federal financial assistance,
the State plans must meet minimum requirements, including identification of the responsibilities of
State, regional, and local authorities in implementing the plan, the prohibition of new open dumps,
provision for closing or upgrading all existing open dumps, and provisions for other disposal, recovery,
and conservation measures necessary to meet the objectives of the Act.
Federal financial assistance to State and local governments for development and implementation
of solid waste management plans is authorized for fiscal year 1978 and 1979 under Section 4008.
Under Section 3011, financial assistance is authorized for State hazardous waste program development
and implementation pursuant to establishing a federally authorized regulatory program.
Authorities for technical assistance in the Act include Section 2003, which requires EPA to pro-
vide, upon request, assistance to State and local governments through teams of personnel ("Resource
Conservation and Recovery Panels") including Federal, State, or local government employees or con-
tractors.
A complete study of the manpower and training needs of State and local solid waste programs
is required under Section 7007, and grants for training projects are authorized.
OBJECTIVES
During fiscal year 1977, EPA objectives with regard to RCRA mandates for planning and de-
velopment of State, regional, and local solid waste programs were as follows:
• Promulgation of the guidelines for identification of regions and agencies for solid waste
management.
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• Preparation of guidelines for development and implementation of State solid waste man-
agement plans.
• Technical assistance to State and local governments in all areas of solid waste management,
and planning for the program of technical assistance panels.
• Preparation of a program of Federal financial support to State, regional, and local govern-
ments.
PROGRAMS
Guidelines for Identification of Regions and Agencies
The guidelines for identification of regions and agencies for solid waste management required
by Section 4002 were published in interim form on May 16, 1977 (Federal Register, 42:24926).
Copies of the guidelines in draft had been sent to over 400 State, regional, and local agencies, other
Federal agencies, environmental groups, and representatives of industry. In addition, a public meet-
ing on the guidelines was held March 30, 1977, with prior notice in the Federal Register. All com-
ments received in these processes were evaluated in preparing the guidelines for publication.
These guidelines provide criteria and procedures for the formal identification of regions by
Governors and the joint identification by State and local officials of the agencies that will develop and
implement a State solid waste management plan.
The guidelines point out that the identifications should be consistent with the State's goals for
prevention of adverse environmental effects from disposal of solid wastes; priorities for attention
among waste types; priorities among disposal practices; and the roles of existing agencies. The iden-
tification process should cover all waste types, disposal practices, and all technological approaches to
waste management (conservation, recovery, incineration, and disposal).
The goal is to establish complete coverage in each State for needed functions in solid waste man-
agement. The prime considerations are equitable distribution of resources, judicious use of disposal
capacity from a statewide perspective; encouragement of resource recovery and conservation programs
wherever they are economic; accumulation of wastes in sufficient quantity to achieve economical man-
agement; resolution of transportation and logistical problems; and maximum use of available means
of interregional and interstate coordination. The identification processes are intended to build upon
ongoing planning and management efforts, particularly those initiated under the Solid Waste Disposal
Act prior to the 1976 amendments, and to coordinate with other programs, principally the areawide
water quality management planning being conducted under Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollu-
tion Control Act.
The EPA Regional Offices, with support from headquarters, are assisting the States and local
elected officials to implement these guidelines.
Guidelines for State Plans
Section 4002 (b) of the Act requires EPA to issue guidelines by April 1978 on the development
and implementation of State solid waste management plans. A State plan is a statement of the current
status of the State solid waste management program, the long-term objectives of the State program,
and the strategy and agenda for achieving the objectives. Thus the plan is an evolving, rather than a
static, entity.
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Sections 4003 and 4005 set forth the minimum requirements that State plans must meet in
order to be approved for Federal funding. The plans must:
• Identify agency responsibilities and the distribution of funds to regional and local govern-
ments
• Prohibit new open dumps
• Institute compliance schedules for closing or upgrading all existing open dumps
• Provide for regulatory powers needed to implement the State plan
• Remove impediments to local long-term contracts for supplying solid waste to resource
recovery facilities
• Provide for resource conservation, recovery, and disposal programs necessary for environ-
mentally sound management
The management of all wastes covered by the Act* will be covered by the State planning guide-
lines. Hazardous waste will be regulated in accordance with Section 3006, but planning for hazardous
waste management will be subject to these guidelines.
Development of the guidelines is now in progress. In addition to extensive consultation with
the States, this process will include examination of comments obtained through public meetings,
reviews of drafts of the guidelines, and the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (July 5, 1977,
Federal Register, 42:34446). Publication of the guidelines in proposed form is scheduled for March
1978, with final guidelines by June.
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance to State and local governments has always been a major part of the Federal
solid waste program. The Office of Solid Waste has been responding to thousands of requests for in-
formation and advice each year. The assistance provided ranges from advice over the telephone and
mailing of literature to team assessments and long-range studies. Demand for such assistance is rising
as a result of the impending regulations, guidelines, and open-dump inventory.
The new program of technical assistance panels that are to be made available to State and local
governments under Section 2003 will begin operating in January 1978. The program will be man-
aged by the 10 Regional Offices, with headquarters providing support and coordination. At each
Regional Office, a division director will be designated as the panel coordinator. He, in turn, will form
a panel tailored to the specific needs of the State and local governments in his Region. The following
types of personnel will be available to the coordinator:
(1) Technical experts from the Office of Solid Waste
(2) Technical experts from the Regional Office
(3) Contractual support from the consulting community
*Solid waste is broadly defined in the Act to include waste sludges, liquids, and contained gases; excluded are domestic sewage, ir-
rigation return flows, industrial discharges subject to permits under Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and
certain radioactive wastes covered by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Hazardous waste is considered to be a subset of solid waste.
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(4) Peer-matching from State and local governments
(Through this mechanism a government official can obtain consultation on a problem from
a person in a like unit of government and like position who has successfully solved a similar
problem.)
(5) Technical experts from EPA's Research and Development laboratories
(6) Technical experts from other Federal agencies
(7) Consultant support from universities
As requests for technical assistance are received, they will be reviewed by EPA regional staff.
Relatively simple tasks will be dealt with immediately, either by letter or phone or by supplying
literature. If more extensive assistance is required, a site visit will be scheduled. Following the site
visit, the request will be evaluated against selection criteria to determine its priority relative to other
requests. Priorities will be heavily influenced by the mandates under the Act (hazardous waste
regulation, the open-dump inventory, etc.). The highest priority requests will be scheduled for as-
sistance through a panel team. The team will be composed of those who are best suited to respond
to the request and may consist of one person or any combination of persons available for panel ser-
vice at the time.
In addition to serving on the panels, EPA headquarters staff will: (1) train personnel in tech-
nical assistance delivery and maintain quality control; (2) determine from the Regions their needs
for new source material and develop same; (3) create and maintain a list of technical experts from
all sectors of the economy; and (4) prepare necessary budget and administrative material.
To facilitate the peer-matching type of assistance, EPA awarded grants in 1977 to the National
Association of Counties, National League of Cities, National Governors Conference, American Public
Works Association, and the International City Management Association to act as coordinators in
bringing together persons in similar positions for mutual assistance. A difficult aspect of this pro-
gram is maintenance of up-to-date lists of officials who have the expertise and time to assist other
communities.
Apart from the panels program, a number of technical assistance projects specifically in the
areas of hazardous waste management, land disposal, and resource recovery were carried out in the
past year; these are described in the following chapters. In addition, the following activities were
conducted:
Development of WRAP (for Waste Resources Allocation Program), a new modeling tool for
regional solid waste management planning was completed. The model will generate a comprehensive
plan covering selection of sites and processes (including resource recovery) and determining links
and flows among sources of waste generation, processing, and disposal sites. The plan will be a
minimum-cost method of handling all of a region's wastes while meeting environmental, tonnage,
and traffic constraints. Thus far, 5 regional and local governments are using the system, several uni-
versities are using it for teaching and consulting, and 50 information requests have been received.
The Cost Estimators Handbook on Transfer, Shredding and Landfilling was developed to assist
planners and public officials gain insight into what the costs of their operations are and should be.
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In collection of solid waste, the primary technical assistance tool being applied is COLMIS
(Collection Management Information System), a computerized program whereby local communities
can analyze their collection practices as to costs and productivity and then make improvements.
Also, a technique for routing collection vehicles to minimize noncollection time and distances has
been devised. By proper routing, productivity can be increased and vehicle operating costs decreased.
The frequency and severity of injuries to solid waste workers are among the highest for all oc-
cupations. The Office of Solid Waste conducted for 1 year an Injury Reporting and Information
System (IRIS) for solid waste. Through IRIS a municipal or private system can find out what its
safety problems are and how they compare with those of other systems. Results of the field test
indicated the direct cost of each injury exceeds $440, but if the indirect cost of downtime, overtime
supervision, court time, insurance rates, etc., are included, the total cost per injury for municipal
systems exceeds $2,640. Results of data analysis for 100 cities will be published in 1978.
Financial Assistance
Federal financial assistance to the States for solid waste programs totaled approximately $3
million in fiscal year 1977, the same as in 1976 and 1975.
About $14.3 million will be available for grants to assist1 State programs under RCRA in fiscal
year 1978. Most of this funding will be needed by the States for conducting the inventory of land
disposal sites and for development of the comprehensive State plans. Thus, very little money will
be passed through to local governments for other implementation activities during fiscal year 1978.
Regulations setting forth EPA procedures and policies for awarding grants under RCRA were de-
veloped in fiscal year 1977 and published in October 1977.
PROBLEMS
The statutory deadlines for the formal identification of regional boundaries (6 months after
issuance of the EPA guidelines) and identification of State and local agencies responsible for devel-
oping and implementing the State plan (6 months after the regional identification deadline) under
Section 4006 may not be realistic and may therefore discourage rather than ensure a fresh, com-
plete look at solid waste management needs. It is not likely that statewide consensus can be achieved
within the deadlines on the often-controversial issue of who is responsible for particular solid waste
management services. Moreover such determinations are likely to be affected by the ensuing planning
process. Many States are meeting the requirements by making temporary identifications which may
be altered after full examination and discussion of the issues. In this and other instances, unless the
need for scheduling is kept in proper perspective it can be a detriment to achievement of the main
objectives.
The level of Federal financial assistance in 1978 has a number of ramifications, some of which
are described in the following chapters on specific program areas.
PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
• Development of the guidelines for State plans as required under Section 4002 will be com-
pleted; scheduled date is June 1978.
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The identification of regional boundaries and the State, regional, and local agencies re-
sponsible for developing and implementing the State solid waste plans should be com-
pleted in 1978. Assistance will be provided to State and local governments in completing
this task as requested. A master list of this management data will be assembled.
The program of technical assistance panels will be put into operation in January 1978.
Technical assistance activities will be intensified as State activities to implement RCRA
provisions increase.
Following preliminary plans developed in fiscal 1977, a study of manpower and training
needs will be conducted (Section 7007).
Pending availability of funds, a program of grants to assist rural communities (Section
4009) will be developed.
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Chapter 3
Land Disposal
The elimination of environmentally unacceptable land disposal is a prime objective of RCRA.
The law directs EPA to issue, within 1 year of enactment, criteria for the classification of all land
disposal sites as either environmentally acceptable or unacceptable (Section 4004). Within 1 year
after promulgation of the criteria an inventory is to be published of all unacceptable sites ("open
dumps") identified according to the criteria (Section 4005). Open dumping is prohibited except as
covered by an acceptable schedule for compliance under the State plan (Section 4005). Such a sched-
ule must include an enforceable sequence of actions leading to full compliance within a reasonable
time (not to exceed 5 years from date of publication of the inventory).
Section 1008 requires EPA to develop and publish suggested guidelines for solid waste manage-
ment which provide for the protection of public health and the environment. Following publication
of the land disposal criteria, such guidelines will be issued on land disposal practices. They will assist
the States in their assessment of compliance with the open dump prohibition and specification of
remedial measures.
Thus, the criteria define acceptable land disposal; the inventory is a national listing of sites which
do not meet the criteria and therefore should be upgraded or closed; and the suggested guidelines de-
scribe acceptable operating practices—the means of achieving the performance goals of the criteria.
The State plans provide the framework for the regulatory elements to become functional and effec-
tive.
The existing data base for the regulatory measures and for technical assistance is extensive but
incomplete in many respects. The Office of Research and Development and the Office of Solid Waste
are conducting numerous projects aimed at expanding the knowledge base, as authorized under Sub-
title H.
OBJECTIVES
During fiscal year 1977, EPA objectives with regard to the land disposal provisions of RCRA
were as follows:
• Development of criteria for the classification of land disposal sites.
• Planning for the inventory of open dumps.
• Continued development of overall EPA policy with regard to municipal and industrial
sludge management.
• Technical assistance to State and local governments.
• Continued development of the data base for economical and environmentally safe process-
ing and disposal of solid waste, with emphasis on support of the regulatory aspects of
land protection.
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• Initiation of required studies: solid waste cleanup in Alaska (Section 3), mining
wastes (Section 8002 (0), and sludge management (Section 8002 (g)).
PROGRAMS
Criteria for the Classification of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities
Section 4004 of the Act requires EPA to promulgate regulations to identify which land disposal
facilities shall be classified as sanitary landfills and which as open dumps. The Act states that a facil-
ity may be classified as a sanitary landfill only if there is no reasonable probability of adverse effects
on health or the environment from the disposal of solid waste at such a facility.
The criteria for land disposal sites were drafted by the Office of Solid Waste using the general
guidance in the law and in consultation with other Federal agencies, State and local governments,
and other interested parties. Copies of the draft criteria were distributed for review in May 1977 to
Federal agencies; all State solid waste management agencies; representatives of local governments,
environmental, health, public interest groups, and private enterprise; and some 100 technical experts.
Comments were also obtained through public meetings and workshops held as part of the public par-
ticipation program. Data, case studies, operating experiences, and other information from the public
were solicited in the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on July 5 (Federal Register,
42: 34446).
A voluntary Environmental Impact Statement, including economic impact analysis, is being
prepared on the expected effects of the criteria.
For hazardous waste disposal, regulations developed under Subtitle C, when promulgated, will
supersede the land disposal criteria.
Although the Act calls for promulgation of the criteria by October 1977, due to the extensive
discussions and reviews that have been necessary the final version will not be ready until the summer
of 1978. Formal proposal in the Federal Register is expected in January 1978.
The Inventory of Open Dumps
The inventory of open dumps will necessitate locating, inspecting, and evaluating all land dis-
posal facilities in the country. In addition to the approximately 20,000 disposal sites for general ref-
use, there are estimated to be 23,000 sludge disposal sites and over 50,000 surface impoundments
for industrial wastes. Besides the sheer magnitude of the task, there are other difficult aspects that
are discussed below under "Problems." Publication of a complete inventory within 1 year of publi-
cation of the land disposal criteria, as required by the Act, does not seem feasible. Plans are being
made for phasing the inventory over a longer period to permit adequate evaluation of disposal facil-
ities.
EPA has contracted for the services of the Bureau of the Census to carry out system design and
data management. The States will evaluate the individual disposal sites against the criteria with EPA
financial and technical assistance. Publication of the inventory will be an EPA responsibility. Evalu-
ation of surface impoundments such as pits, ponds, and lagoons will be coordinated with assess-
ments being conducted by the Office of Water Supply under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
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EPA Policy on Sludges
A Residual Sludge Working Group has been formed in EPA, with the Office of Solid Waste as
the lead office, to formulate policy on management of municipal and industrial sludges. The group
prepared a work plan in September 1976 which is now being implemented. The plan includes: an
analysis of all options for the disposal of residual sludges in air, water, and land; development of a
public education program for sludge management; and development of a strategy paper for municipal
sludge management.
The municipal sludge strategy paper will be made available for public comment in early 1978.
It will describe what EPA plans to do in the area of municipal sludge management in light of its leg-
islative mandates and existing Federal, State, and local capabilities and resources. The strategy will
serve as a blueprint for future municipal sludge management policy and actions. Public education
activities in the area of sludge management are noted in Chapter 6.
Technical Assistance
In addition to the technical assistance activities described in Chapter 2, the following projects
were undertaken in the land disposal area:
Manuals. Three manuals are being prepared under contract that will assist in State regulation
of land disposal:
• The permitting manual will describe the use of a system of State permits for construction
and operation of land disposal sites. The manual will address in detail the aspects included
in the land disposal criteria. This will allow State agencies to review plans for proposed
land disposal sites using a systematic and uniform method. The manual will incorporate
the experience gained from current State permit programs. It is scheduled for publication
in early 1978.
• Because the open dump inventory will be conducted largely by the States, there is need
for a suggested uniform site inspection procedure. The inspection manual, also scheduled
for publication in 1978, will provide the information that State inspectors need to judge
the environmental acceptability of current land disposal methods. The manual will address
various design and operating techniques which can be used for environmentally sound land
disposal. It will also provide discussions and recommendations regarding an effective con-
tinuing State inspection program. Issues to be addressed include:
Frequency of inspections for various types of disposal sites.
Training requirements for inspectors.
Costs of inspection procedures.
Interface of inspection with permit and monitoring procedures.
Maintenance and utilization of inspection data; follow-up actions for violations.
Use of visual inspection procedures.
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Replicability, or ensuring that the rating scheme produces equitable results, regard-
less of inspector.
Comparability among State inspection programs so that data collected are applicable
to the open dump inventory.
Inspection criteria for the establishment and maintenance of a State inventory of
solid waste disposal sites to ensure compliance of State plan with the criteria for san-
itary landfills.
• The third manual, completed in 1977, presents effective methods for monitoring ground-
water quality near a land disposal facility. While the manual includes the essential steps
for developing an effective monitoring program, the approach is general because of the many
variables associated with any given site, such as hydrogeologic setting, type of waste being
disposed of, ultimate use of the monitoring data, and other factors.
Municipal Sludge Guide. A decision guide on municipal sludge management is in preparation.
It will be designed primarily for use by local officials and sewage treatment plant operators, with the
focus on sludge management for cities of less than 150,000 population. The guide will discuss aspects
of processing sludge for disposal, pretreatment, methods of disposal including landspreading, land
reclamation, landfilling, incineration, energy recovery, etc., siting, the potential costs of each process-
ing and disposal method, and their respective advantages and disadvantages. This guide will be com-
pleted by September 1978.
Establishing Land Disposal Sites. The siting of land disposal facilities is often blocked by the
opposition of people living in the vicinity of the proposed sites. The Office of Solid Waste has been
studying the experiences of communities in attempting to establish new sites in order to share the ob-
servations with other communities to help them improve their chances for success. An example of
successful siting in San Bernardino County, California, was described in a report published in 1977
to serve as one model to consider. The five "keys to success" cited in San Bernardino were: (1)
obtain strong support of local elected officials; (2) stress economic and technical considerations; (3)
evaluate all reasonable options in a consistent, objective manner; (4) provide examples of well-run
landfill operations; and (5) open the site selection process to the public as early as possible.
Research, Studies, Demonstrations*
Special Studies. Work is in progress on several special studies required by RCRA:
• Section 3 of RCRA requires a study of the procedures for removing existing solid waste
from Federal lands in Alaska. The study is to examine alternative environmentally safe
procedures and the estimated costs for each procedure. A report of the first phase of the
study was completed for transmittal to Congress in October 1977. The Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation is assisting EPA in the conduct of this study.
Titles of reports resulting from these activities are included in the Appendix.
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• Section 8002 (f) requires a study of the adverse effects of mining wastes, alternatives to
current disposal methods and their costs, and the potential for using the waste as a second-
ary source of the mine product. The Office of Research and Development has awarded the
contract for this study.
• Section 8002 (g) requires a study of the effects of air and water pollution legislation on
sludge generation, amounts of sludge originating in each State, methods of disposal, in-
cluding costs and effectiveness, alternative methods for sludge utilization, and the reclama-
tion of sludge-damaged areas. The Office of Solid Waste has awarded the contract for this
study.
There is a wide range of ongoing studies and demonstrations related to land disposal that are
being carried out by the Office of Research and Development and the Office of Solid Waste. Many
of them already serve as data sources to support the criteria, guidelines, and other program elements.
Residual Characterization and Decomposition Studies. Data are being collected on composition
of municipal and hazardous wastes, and sampling and analytical methods are being developed. Infor-
mation about waste compatibility, decomposition, and potential for leaching is being obtained.
Pollutant Transport Studies. The release of pollutants in liquid and gaseous forms from various
wastes and the subsequent movement and fate of these pollutants in adjacent soils are being studied.
The efforts to evaluate ground-water contamination from land disposal sites were initiated sev-
eral years ago with studies to determine leachate generation rates. Pilot-scale studies using both proc-
essed (shredded and baled) and unprocessed municipal solid waste were initiated, and long-term
low-level monitoring of these projects still continues.
Eight municipal sludge disposal sites are currently being studied to determine how far contamina-
tion has moved from these sites and whether this contamination represents a significant threat to
local ground-water supplies.
Pollutant Control and Treatment Studies. Technology for detecting, minimizing, containing,
or eliminating release of pollutants from wastes disposed of on land is being evaluated.
The ability to control ground-water contamination will depend in part on the monitoring tech-
niques available. A number of land disposal sites are currently being monitored to evaluate monitor-
ing methods and to establish standard sampling techniques. The information gained from these studies
will augment the monitoring manual described above.
Other pollutant control and treatment studies include:
• Evaluation of natural soil processes for pollutant attenuation.
• The evaluation of liner materials (natural soils, synthetic membranes, and admixtures) used
to prevent contaminants from reaching the ground water.
• Development and evaluation of chemical stabilization technology for transforming waste
residuals into low-soluble materials to minimize pollutant release and rate of leaching.
• Evaluation of physical, chemical, and biological methods for leachate treatment.
Codisposal Studies. Waste decomposition and pollutant generation associated with admixing
or codisposing of various hazardous wastes and/or municipal sludge with municipal refuse are being
investigated. Various simulated landfill hydrological conditions with varying hazardous waste loadings
are being monitored.
Remedial Action. Studies are in progress directed to the identification and evaluation of best
practical technology for minimizing contamination of water and dangerous gas migration from en-
vironmentally unsound inoperative waste disposal sites.
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Landfill Alternatives. Land disposal alternatives to the common landfill burial techniques are
being investigated. These include techniques whereby industrial and municipal wastes are spread
and mixed into the soil, disposal in underground mines, and deep-well injection.
Land Application of Municipal Sludge. The studies and demonstrations of the land application
of municipal wastewater treatment sludge are focused on effects on health and environment, various
methods of application, cost-effectiveness, and public acceptance. The projects in 1977 included the
following:
Three university studies are being supported to develop techniques for analysis of metals in sludge
and sludge-amended soils.
Two studies, one conducted in Illinois for 10 years and the other in New Jersey for 4 years, have
demonstrated some of the effects of long-term use of digested sewage sludge on crop fields, strip mine
spoils, and on sandy coastal plain soils. At the Illinois site, a follow-on study was started in 1977 to
determine loading rates for various soil-crop combinations following many years of sludge use. A
part of the study will also investigate the effect of a one-time application of sludge to a strip-mined
area.
Near Denver, a study is in progress to determine the effect of grazing sludge-treated pastures and
direct sludge ingestion by cattle. Another study, in Minnesota, includes determining the effects on
the composition of the tissues of lambs and the milk from goats that are fed corn silage grown on
sludge-treated land.
An EPA grant is the major funding in Houston, Texas, for a 3-year "Landmix" project—the land:,
spreading of sludge with other municipal wastes and the mixing of these with the soil, followed by the
raising of agricultural crops. Optimal loading rates in association with crop yields will be determined.
In Bangor, Maine, the composting of municipal sludge is in its third year with EPA demonstration
grant support. The process was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and EPA and in-
volves the forced aeration of a mixture of sludge and wood chips to form mulch for use in landscaping.
The interim report of this project was published in 1977. An independent assessment is also being made
by a sanitary engineering firm to determine the economic and technical feasibility of the process. . ,
An investigation of the market demands for composted sludge has been completed, and the re-
port User Acceptance of Wastewater Sludge Compost is in preparation.
A study is underway with the Farm Bureau Development Corporation, Columbus, Ohio, to
evaluate social factors and public attitudes that affect the acceptability of sludge use on agricultural
land.
Report to Congress on Ground-Water Effects. As required by Section 1442 (a) (4) of the Safe
Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), the Office of Water Supply, assisted by the Office of Solid Waste/.:
conducted a major study of the effects on ground water of all forms of waste disposal. The report
of the study, Waste Disposal Practices and Their Effects on Ground Water, was submitted to Congress
in January 1977 and serves as an important data source for the solid waste program.
PROBLEMS
Development of Expertise in New Areas
The wider scope of RCRA, compared with previous solid waste legislation, has had a major im-
pact on the EPA solid waste program. Prior to RCRA, the emphasis was on municipal solid waste
and municipal wastewater treatment sludge and the processing and disposal methods typically used
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for these wastes. With RCRA came increased responsibility for other wastes, such as industrial and
mining wastes, and other disposal practices, such as surface impoundments. Some time will be re-
quired for EPA and State solid waste management agencies to gain the necessary expertise to be truly
responsive in the new areas of responsibility. Because little additional Federal and State staffing, com-
pared to additional workload, has resulted from the passage of RCRA, these areas have not received
the attention necessary to conduct meaningful programs in technical assistance, guideline development,
and data base generation. Even with regard to land disposal of municipal solid wastes and municipal
wastewater treatment sludge, there are many gaps in the available knowledge. Much work remains in
researching all these problems and in translating the data into practical guidelines.
The Inventory of Open Dumps
The open-dump inventory, which is required to be published within 1 year of the promulgation
of the land disposal criteria, poses several problems:
The inclusion of surface impoundments in the inventory may be a problem because many State
solid waste management agencies previously have not had responsibility regarding these facilities.
Identifying sites used for municipal solid waste will not be difficult, because most States require per-
mits for these facilities. The present plan is to conduct the inventory process in phases, with the sur-
face impoundments portion published later than the municipal waste sites portion. Phasing would
allow OSW and the States some time to become more knowledgeable about assessing the potential
impacts from surface impoundments.
Another problem exists in financing the inventory. Since this is a Federal requirement, it is ap-
propriate that the Federal government provide the funding, but the funding level for fiscal year 1978
does not appear to be sufficient for this activity.
A third problem is that the time allotted by RCRA for the inventory is not sufficient for ade-
quate assessment of the effect of sites on ground water. The techniques for ground-water monitoring
are not yet well defined and can be basically a trial-and-error procedure in many cases. Also, ground
water usually moves laterally at a slow rate, so contamination from a specific disposal site can become
apparent many years after the facility is no longer active.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATION
There are certain changes in RCRA which would facilitate meeting the objectives relating to land
protection:
Funding for RCRA currently expires at the end of fiscal year 1979. However, the time-frame for
closing open dumps extends to 5 years after publication of the inventory. Therefore, the States will
need financial assistance at least 4 years past the current authorization. Extending the RCRA author-
izations 2 to 4 years will demonstrate to the States that continuing financial and technical assistance
will be available at the time of major State activity in closing open dumps.
For the reasons discussed in the previous section, development of the open-dump inventory must
be phased in order to achieve the goals of RCRA. Section 4005 might therefore be amended to allow
EPA to publish inventories of sites determined to be open dumps subsequent to the one required
within 1 year of the issuance of the criteria. The requirement of compliance within 5 years of pub-
lication of the inventory could then be made to refer to the time of publication of the inventory that
includes the particular site in question.
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These and other amendments, generally of a more technical nature, are being proposed through
the usual EPA procedures for such actions.
PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
• The criteria for classifying land disposal sites are scheduled for promulgation in the summer
of 1978.
• The inventory process will be started when the criteria are promulgated. As discussed
above, the Bureau of the Census will be responsible for data management, the States will
make inspections and evaluations of the disposal sites, and EPA will provide coordination
and assistance and is responsible for publication of the inventory. The available data will
be published 1 year after the criteria are promulgated.
• Guidelines for land disposal will be developed following determination of the land disposal
criteria.
• A major effort will be directed to development of a data base on industrial disposal facili-
ties and waste management practices. A decision will be made in 1978 as to which indus-
trial waste management practices not covered under Subtitle C will require guidelines.
• The report on phase II of the study of solid waste cleanup in Alaska will be submitted to
Congress in April 1978. The studies on sludge and on mining wastes required in Section
8002 will be completed.
• The research and demonstration activities will continue to be directed toward providing
the necessary data base for standards, guidelines, and technical assistance.
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Chapter 4
Hazardous Waste Management
Subtitle C of RCRA mandates establishment of a regulatory control program which will prevent
serious threat to human health and the environment from current practices in managing hazardous
wastes. Key provisions are for development of criteria for determining which wastes are hazardous,
institution of a manifest system to track wastes from point of generation to point of disposal, and
organization of a permit system, based on standards, for hazardous waste treatment, storage, and
disposal facilities. Under such controls, each generator will determine whether his waste is hazar-
dous according to the official criteria. If it is, he must either obtain a permit to manage it on his
property or ship it to a permitted treatment, storage, or disposal facility. In the latter case, a manifest
containing basic information about the waste must accompany the shipment. In either case, all
treatment, storage, and disposal operations must meet the minimum standards developed.
The standards and regulations lay the framework for a Federal system to control hazardous
wastes. Congress was clear in its intent, however, that the States implement this system as part of
their comprehensive solid waste management programs. Section 3006 directs EPA to develop guide-
lines by which such authority will be granted. EPA must grant authorization to interested States
unless it finds that the proposed State program is not equivalent to and consistent with the Federal
program. Federal grants to States are authorized for fiscal years 1978 and 1979 to aid the establish-
ment of acceptable hazardous waste programs. In any State that decides not to establish a hazard-
ous waste program meeting Federal standards, EPA will administer regulatory control.
The law directs that the standards, regulations, and guidelines for the hazardous waste program
be promulgated within 18 months of enactment, that is, by April 1978. By the end of fiscal year
1977, considerable progress had been made in development of these issuances, as described below;
however, it appears that promulgation will be delayed several montns past the April deadline. The
standards and regulations go into effect 6 months after the date of promulgation.
To be effective, equitable, and practicable, standards and regulations must be based firmly on
an extensive data base which can be used to analyze the regulatory alternatives and to support the
chosen approach. Similarly, the quality of technical assistance depends on the reliability of the tech-
nical and economic data base. Under authority of Subtitle H, the Office of Research and Develop-
ment and the Office of Solid Waste have continuing programs to develop this data base.
For the hazardous waste management program to be fully implemented, enough permitted
facilities for treatment, storage, and disposal must be available to manage the wastes generated.
Although the existing service industry typically operates at only 50 percent of capacity, the current
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total capacity is still far short of projected needs. The need to facilitate—and to avoid discouraging-
capacity creation is being taken into consideration in EPA development of regulations and guidelines
and provision of technical assistance.
As the title of the Act indicates, promotion of resource conservation and recovery is a major
goal. Reducing the generation of hazardous wastes, and finding economic uses for such wastes that
are generated, are clearly options to be utilized wherever feasible. The system of regulatory control
now in preparation should serve to encourage conservation practices. Waste management costs will
generally rise as safer methods and safeguards are required, and this should be an incentive to reduce
waste generation. Similarly, higher disposal costs should make resource recovery processes compara-
tively more economic than in the past.
Regulations will apply to resource recovery processes as well as other "treatment" of hazardous
waste, however; EPA is investigating ways to reduce the regulatory burden on resource recovery
facilities and to provide other incentives in the course of preparing standards and regulations. Addi-
tionally, many of the studies, and research, development, and demonstration activities carried out
in data development programs relate directly to the evaluation of hazardous waste resource recovery
processes and opportunities.
OBJECTIVES
During fiscal year 1977 the EPA objectives with regard to hazardous waste management were
as follows:
• Developing the required standards, regulations, and systems for the regulatory control
program.
• Encouraging State implementation of the program and development of the guidelines
for State hazardous waste programs.
• Providing technical assistance to States, local governments, industries, and others involved
in hazardous waste management.
• Developing the technical and economic data base for the regulatory program and for
technical assistance.
• Facilitating expansion of the service industry for hazardous waste treatment, storage,
and disposal.
• Promoting resource conservation and recovery.
PROGRAMS
Regulatory Programs
In keeping with Congressional intent, the Agency undertook a public outreach program before
taking any positions or making any decisions on hazardousi waste issues or regulatory alternatives.
By so doing, the Agency hoped to identify all of the alternatives available, raise all major issues,
and hear arguments and opinions from various segments of the public.
In addition to dozens of public meetings, an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR)
was published in the Federal Register asking for comments on issues and questions facing the Agency
in development of the Subtitle C regulations. Response to both the ANPR and the meetings has
been substantial, resulting in better understanding by Agency personnel .of the various options
and viewpoints.
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Six working groups, representing many EPA Offices, were formed to advise the Office of Solid
Waste on development of Subtitle C regulations. In a departure from the usual procedure, and in
keeping with Congressional intent that States participate, a number of States were invited to partici-
pate in working group meetings as ex-officio members. Department of Transportation officials also
participate in the working groups dealing with the definition of hazardous waste and the standards
for generators and transporters of hazardous waste.
In accordance with standard procedure, each set of regulations will first be published in the
Federal Register as proposed rules. Comments received during the following 60 days will be assured
consideration in preparation of the final regulations (see page 8 for tentative schedules for publica-
tion of regulations and guidelines).
Defining a Hazardous Waste. Section 3001 mandates the promulgation of regulations identify-
ing and listing hazardous wastes, that is, wastes subject to the controls developed under Subtitle C.
Development of the criteria for identifying the characteristics of hazardous wastes must take into
consideration such factors as ". . . toxicity, persistence, and degradability in nature, potential for
accumulation in tissue, and other related factors such as flammability, corrosiveness, and other
hazardous characteristics." Hazardous waste, as the term is defined for use in the Act, is a subset of
solid waste "which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious char-
acteristics may (A) cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in
seriously irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or (B) pose a substantial present or potential
hazard to human health or the environment when improperly . . . managed."
Using these indications and findings of previous studies and investigations, the Agency has
tentatively selected a set of criteria for identifying the characteristics of hazardous wastes. These
characteristics include flammability, reactivity, corrosiveness, toxicity, genetic change potential,
tendency for bioaccumulation, infectiousness, and radioactivity. Each of these areas is being in-
vestigated to determine how each should be defined and the means to measure or identify the
particular characteristic. In most cases, the latter will be specified in terms of a particular test
method and a quantitative measure. For example, flammability may be defined as a flash point
of 140°F or lower using a specific test method. Other characteristics, however, present problems
in terms of the availability of appropriate quantifiable measures or test techniques; such charac-
teristics include infectiousness, toxicity, genetic change potential, and tendency for bioaccumu-
lation.
Another problem area is determination of the type of listing that will be used. The list may,
for example, specify wastes of particular processes or wastes containing particular substances at
concentrations above a certain level. The use or incorporation of lists already established for other
purposes—air and water pollution control, transportation safety, occupational health and safety,
etc., is also being considered.
In addition to the consultation available through the working group, considerable public input
is being obtained for the development of Section 3001 regulations. Nine meetings have been held
in various Regions with representatives of the production industries, waste management firms,
transportation industry, State and local government, public interest groups, academicians, and
environmentalists. About 300 people attended these meetings and provided much insight into some
of the practical problems involved in hazardous waste management. Also, discussions relative to
the development of Section 3001 regulations have been held with numerous individuals and or-
ganizations.
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Several projects have been initiated through grants and contracts to provide background data
and test procedures suitable for Section 3001 regulations. These are summarized as follows:
Toxicant extraction procedure development-development of a procedure which would sim-
ulate the leaching action in a landfill.
Candidate toxicant extraction procedures—evaluation and selection of representative techniques
from existing procedures.
Toxicant extraction procedure evaluation—comparative evaluation of the candidate procedures,
the newly developed technique, and actual landfill leachate, which will lead to the selection
of a standard procedure.
Toxicity—compilation of background data and an evaluation of the suitability of empirical tests
on substances produced by the procedures described above.
Standard procedure validation—determination of the performance of the selected procedure by
commercial facilities and optimizing the reproducibility of test results.
Sampling and analysis techniques—development or compilation of standards or protocols for
taking a "standard" sample of a waste and analyzing it.
Hazardous waste criteria risk analysis-evaluation of the potential risk of various options for
the several criteria being considered for hazardous waste definition.
Hazardous waste list development—exploration of formats for hazardous waste listings.
These projects coupled with in-house activities will provide the background documentation and
rationale for the criteria and listing of hazardous wastes. The publication of the proposed regulations
for Section 3001 is scheduled for March 1978; an additional proposed test protocol, for toxic wastes,
is scheduled for publication in June 1978.
Standards for Generators of Hazardous Waste. Section 3002 requires EPA to establish standards
for generators of hazardous waste for: (1) recordkeeping; (2) labeling containers used for storage,
transport, or disposal of hazardous wastes; (3) using appropriate containers; (4) furnishing informa-
tion on the general chemical composition of the hazardous waste to persons transporting, treating,
storing, or disposing of the waste; (5) using a manifest system to assure all hazardous waste is des-
ignated to go to a permitted facility; and (6) submitting reports to the Administrator on the quan-
tities of hazardous waste generated during a particular time period and its disposition.
The opinion and advice of numerous individuals representing generators, waste handlers, en-
vironmental groups, and State and local governments have been obtained either through public
meetings or individual discussions. In addition, since many of the standards affect transportation
(labeling, containers, manifests, furnishing information), EPA is coordinating the development of
Section 3002 regulations with the Office of Hazardous Materials Operation, Department of Trans-
portation.
Since DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations have been developed for labeling and containeri-
zation of hazardous materials, the applicability of those standards to hazardous wastes is being
assessed. Another contract study is underway to examine the data needs of generators and waste
management facilities, the data-handling requirements of the manifest and reporting systems, and
existing shipping documentation used for tracking of shipments of waste or materials.
The proposed generator standards are also scheduled for publication in March 1978.
Standards for Transporters of Hazardous Waste. Section 3003 requires development of
standards applicable to transporters of hazardous waste as may be necessary to protect human
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health and the environment. The standards developed shall include as a minimum (1) recordkeeping
concerning the hazardous waste transported, its source, and delivery points; (2) transportation of
such wastes only if properly labeled; (3) compliance with the manifest system developed under
Section 3002; and (4) transportation of all hazardous wastes only to the waste management facility
which the shipper declares on the manifest form to be a facility holding a permit issued in accordance
with Section 3005 of the Act.
In addition to these minimum requirements, paragraph (b) states that if any hazardous waste
identified or listed is subject to the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, the standards set by
the Administrator shall be consistent with the DOT regulations. Also, the Administrator is autho-
rized to make recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation respecting regulation of hazar-
dous wastes under HMTA.
EPA will develop in conjunction with the Department of Transportation those standards
which are discretionary under RCRA (placarding, marking, accident reporting) but mandatory under
the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.
The first step will be to include the criteria and list of hazardous wastes under the hazardous
materials regulations. This will then make all the hazardous materials transportation regulations
applicable to hazardous wastes. Additional recommendations will be made to DOT concerning
labeling, placarding, containerization, and handling of the waste when the problems associated with
hazardous waste transport (such as factors contributing to accidents, the handling of spilled materials,
management of incompatible wastes, and possible training needs of personnel involved) are defined
and more fully understood.
Since February 1977, over 300 individuals and industry groups have been involved in public
meetings of Section 3003 standards. The problems of hazardous waste transport have been dis-
cussed and possible regulatory solutions developed. In addition to the public meetings, a study is
being done to characterize and examine the hazardous waste transportation industry. Through
this study, the problems with current regulations or the lack of regulations will be addressed.
Publication of proposed regulations under Section 3003 is scheduled for February 1978.
Regulations for Treatment, Storage, and Disposal. Section 3004 mandates the development
of performance standards for owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and
disposal facilities for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment. The Act
states that such standards shall include requirements respecting recordkeeping, reporting, monitor-
ing, design, construction, training, and ownership.
The development effort for these regulations has been organized into 13 in-house projects and
7 support contracts. A background document corresponding to each of these projects and contracts
will be generated. The document will identify the basic alternative forms each regulation could
take and evaluate advantages and disadvantages. Each document will have a number of reviews
and revisions; each draft will be reviewed by the Hazardous Waste Management Division staff, con-
sultants, Section 3004 working group, Regional Office personnel, selected outside reviewers, and
other interested parties.
The projects will evaluate:
1. Emission control criteria, including controls for open burning, odors, ambient air, and
point source emissions.
2. Emergency alarm and automatic control systems.
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3. Managerial issues, including requirements for liability insurance, cash bonding, and
other means of ensuring financial responsibility; requirements for contingency planning;
and requirements for operator certification.
4. Location criteria and protective requirements for ground and surface waters.
5. Environmental monitoring techniques for treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
6. Compatibility of wastes during treatment, storage, and disposal.
7. Effectiveness of using cover materials to prevent infiltration, fires, and gaseous emissions.
8. Operating conditions and necessary waste-specific restrictions.
9. Regulatory options for controlling and monitoring noise levels.
10. Regulatory options for restricting and monitoring radiation levels.
11. Regulatory options for restricting the uptake of hazardous substances by plants as a
result of land disposal operations.
12. Regulatory options for the design and operation of a hazardous waste storage facility,
including vapor controls for tanks, limits on outside storage, and requirements for separa-
ting wastes.
13. Methods for handling and disposal of used drums, cans, or other containers.
14. Options for recordkeeping and reporting on-site monitoring activities and the disposition
of wastes received.
15. Options for preventing leakages of hazardous wastes from storage impoundments (ponds
and lagoons) to ground and surface waters.
16. Existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations which may
impact on the environment or public health.
17. Fire prevention options.
18. Regulatory options for preventing and dealing with explosions and spills.
19. Regulatory options for limiting public access.
20. The need for and options available for operator training programs.
Proposed regulations are scheduled for publication in April 1978.
Permit System Development. Under Section 3005, regulations are to be developed requiring
each person owning or operating a facility for the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous
waste to obtain a permit. The rules will define the administrative and procedural requirements
for a permit system that is based on the standards developed under Section 3004. The permit system
must provide a mechanism to assure uniform control by States or EPA over hazardous waste manage-
ment facilities, including maintenance of data for compliance monitoring and enforcement.
During the period of December 1976 through June 1977, 14 public meetings were held across
the country to discuss development of the facility permit system. At these meetings, representatives
of public interest, environmental, and consumer groups, industry, trade, labor, the financial commu-
nity, the agricultural sector, the academic community, and State and local governments were brought
together to discuss the issues.
The major issues that have been identified in relation to the scope of the permit system (i.e.,
facilities covered, depth of coverage, extent of control), include: criteria for effectiveness; depth
of review of permits; extent of public involvement in the process; tradeoffs between information
desired versus data collection cost; and exclusions. There are significant problems also in attempting
to deal satisfactorily with competing public, industrial, and waste industry demands, especially with
regard to assurance of environmental safety.
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Five ongoing State permitting programs have been reviewed in detail, and much valuable infor-
mation has been obtained.
Publication of proposed rules is scheduled for April 1978.
Notification. Section 3010 requires that all persons generating or transporting hazardous
wastes or operating facilities for treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous wastes notify the EPA
Administrator (or State authorities in States having authorized hazardous waste management permit
programs under Section 3006) within 90 days of promulgation of the definition of hazardous wastes
under Section 3001. Notification must consist of the name and location of the person conducting
hazardous waste activities, the type(s) of activities, and a description of the waste handled. No
specific action is required of EPA under Section 3010 other than receiving the information, although
establishment of a mechanism for receiving and processing the information is implied.
Several routes have been taken in developing a plan for implementing Section 3010. In addi-
tion to the usual working group, a special meeting was held with representatives of Federal agencies
affected by RCRA to brief them on the requirements of the Act and to solicit comments. Four
meetings were held with representatives of industry, environmental groups, labor unions, State and
local governments, and other interest groups to discuss Section 3010 issues. Typically, 25 to 50
people attended each of these meetings. The input from these sources has been incorporated into
the implementation plan.
The issues raised at these meetings included the question of who should receive the notification.
The need for a data management system was also clearly indicated. Both State officials and indus-
try representatives expressed the desire that disruption to existing State hazardous waste programs
be minimized, emphasizing the need for a flexible implementation strategy. One recurring comment
from various sources was that the 90-day mandated notification period is too short for industries
to determine if their wastes are hazardous under the Section 3001 regulations. A number of dis-
cussion participants expressed the need to assemble a list of persons potentially affected by Sec-
tion 3010 so that.they can be informed of the notification requirement.
At this juncture, the Agency plans to receive notifications at the EPA Regional Offices, except
where States request and are granted authority to handle the notifications. Data management
systems for handling notification responses are under development. Identification of the resources
required by EPA Regional and State offices to conduct notification activities is underway. A model
notification form has been developed, but the use of a mandatory form has been rejected due to the
need for flexibility and the legal difficulties associated with a required form. A list of potentially
affected persons is being developed. Proposed regulations establishing the notification system are
scheduled for publication in February 1978.
Environmental and Economic Impact Assessments. Implementation of Subtitle C has been
deemed an action for which preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement would be appro-
priate, and therefore EPA with contracted assistance is proceeding with assembling information'.
necessary to evaluate the impacts of alternative implementation strategies. The draft EIS docu-
ment will aid public'participation in the decision-making process and also help to identify areas
where additional information concerning the protection of public health and environment is needed.
The draft EIS will be made available soon after the Subtitle C regulations are proposed.
Economic analysis of the proposed regulations is being conducted as required by Presidential
Executive Order Nos. 11821 and 11949 implemented by the Office of Management and Budget
Circular No. A-107. There are currently five contract studies to assess the economic impact of
Subtitle C. These studies specifically examine: (1) cost of compliance, (2) economic impacts on
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the organic chemicals industry, (3) economic impacts on the hazardous waste transportation and
management industries, and (4) economic impacts on selected industries. The information from
these four studies will establish a data base for the fifth study, the comprehensive Economic Im-
pact Analysis.
State Hazardous Waste Programs
Section 3006 of the Act allows the Administrator to authorize States to conduct hazardous
waste programs in lieu of EPA. Section 3006(a) directs EPA to ". . . promulgate guidelines to
assist States in the development of State hazardous waste programs." Section 3006(b) allows
States to apply for and receive authorization to carry out their own program of hazardous waste
management ". .. in lieu of the Federal program . . . and to issue and enforce permits for the
storage, treatment, or disposal of hazardous wastes . . . ." States are to be authorized unless the
Administrator "finds that (1) such State program is not equivalent to the Federal program under
[Subtitle C], (2) such program is not consistent with the Federal or State programs applicable in
other States, or (3) such program does not provide adequate enforcement of compliance . . . ."
The Act recognizes that few of the States will be prepared to administer and enforce a program
as comprehensive as that mandated in Subtitle C by October 1978; consequently, Section 3006(c)
provides for an "interim authorization" from October 1978 to October 1980. The only criterion
for "interim authorization" is that the proposed State program be "substantially equivalent" to the
Federal program, a criterion which EPA interprets as a somewhat lesser degree of program develop-
ment than "equivalent." The intent of this provision is clearly that as many States as possible be
authorized, and that EPA administer and enforce Subtitle C in the fewest possible States. This
interpretation should enlarge the group of States which qualify for authorization under Section
3006 and give those States receiving interim authorization a 2-year period in which to prepare their
programs, with Federal assistance, for full authorization.
The Act requires EPA to promulgate final guidelines for State programs by April 21, 1978.
The working group for this effort includes representatives of five States as advisors: California,
Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas. (Representatives from Maryland and Tennessee have
also participated in some of the working group meetings.) To obtain further consultation from the
States, EPA convened a series of meetings between March 22, 1977, and April 6, 1977, at which
47 States participated and discussed their perception of what should be in the guidelines. A second
series of meetings was held between June 23, 1977, and August 10, 1977, drawing a similarly high
percentage of the States, to discuss the initial draft of the guidelines. The current schedule calls for
issuance of proposed guidelines in January 1978.
It is not possible to know until 1978 how many States or which States will choose to seek and
will receive authorization. The major incentive is the grant support for those States that seek to
establish authorized hazardous waste programs, but there are other incentives. The guidelines and
requirements being developed allow the States as much flexibility to respond to their unique
problems, needs, and circumstances as is consistent with the objectives of the Act. The State will
thus have an opportunity to tailor a program to its conditions. EPA implementation, on the other
hand, wii1 necessarily be concerned with uniformity in administering and enforcing the Act in all
the States for which it retains responsibility. This may lead to a certain dilution in the attention paid
to a State's unique concerns. Also, the regulated community within a State may prefer to deal with
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its own elected representatives and those appointed by their representatives. Each State will weigh
these incentives against the knowledge that the Act provides one major disincentive: where the
State does not seek, or does not receive, authorization, EPA will administer and enforce the program.
In other words, a State could abstain from this program without leaving its citizens unprotected.
A number of States have already begun developing programs which may be sufficient for
authorization by 1978. States enacting hazardous waste management legislation in recent years
include California, Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, Missouri, Washington, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Kansas,
and New Mexico. In 1977 California adopted replacement legislation to bring the State authority
in line with RCRA. Texas has actively developed its program for managing the land disposal of
hazardous wastes under the legislative authority of its water pollution laws rather than under a
State hazardous waste management act. Several other States are now considering hazardous waste
legislation, including Iowa and Wisconsin.
EPA is, on balance, optimistic that the States will prefer building their own regulatory program
to permitting the Federal government to do the job for them. EPA will support them in this effort
as fully as possible, and a vigorous effort is being made to inform the States and the public about
the provisions and implications of Section 3006.
Enforcement Activities
Section 3008 of Subtitle C authorizes the Administrator to initiate appropriate enforcement
action against any violator of any requirement of the Subtitle. This is the first time Federal enforce-
ment authority has been granted in the solid waste management area.
It is EPA's goal in implementing Subtitle C to ensure that the promulgated regulations are
clear and unambiguous, and impose reasonable and enforceable standards of performance. EPA's
Office of Enforcement (OE) will assure that the standards, guidelines, and regulations promulgated
under RCRA are in concert with the Agency's overall enforcement strategy.
The Office of Enforcement is working closely with the Office of Solid Waste in the develop-
ment of Subtitle C standards and regulations. OE will provide administrative support for the
issuance of permits, review permit applications for enforceability, and participate in the evaluation
of proposed State hazardous waste programs in the area of adequacy of enforcement. In addition,
OE is developing policy and procedures regarding the monitoring of hazardous waste management
facilities, pursuant to Section 3007, for compliance with Subtitle C regulations. Ultimately, EPA
must initiate enforcement actions against facilities which do not comply with the regulatory pro-
visions in those States without an authorized program.
The Office of Enforcement has established the Enforcement Strategy Development Task Force
to aid in formulating the regulations, the criteria for compliance monitoring, and the procedures for
initiating enforcement actions under the Act. The most formidable job is to establish monitoring
criteria which are flexible enough so that States can easily incorporate them into their hazardous
waste programs, yet stringent enough to consistently protect health and the environment through-
out the nation. The task force will also assist in drafting guidance on inspections and sampling
procedures, in establishing enforcement priorities, and in implementing enforcement remedies.
The task force will assist in promulgating rules of practice needed to conduct hearings held in
pursuant to RCRA and in establishing standards of evidence and criteria for the issuance of notices
of violation, compliance orders, and assessment of civil or criminal penalties. A draft analysis of
RCRA enforcement provisions and draft interim procedures have been prepared.
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Because the Act involves the control of hazardous wastes in all environmental media, OE is
assisting in the establishment of cooperative RCRA enforcement agreements with other Federal
and State agencies. These agreements will delineate the areas of mutual concern and the protocol
for necessary action with regard to hazardous waste management.
OE has organized joint Federal-State seminars on hazardous waste programs. These seminars
include training for compliance monitoring and enforcement.
Data Base Development
Data base development for the hazardous waste program takes three major forms. Damage
assessment involves analysis of pathways of waste movement through air, land, or waters. Technol-
ogy assessment evaluates the various waste management alternatives (land disposal, incineration,
treatment, etc.) for adequacy in detoxifying the wastes, immobilizing hazardous constituents, or
promoting resource recovery. Economic analysis is focused on the costs of improper waste disposal
and of proper techniques, thus permitting study of economic tradeoffs and impacts. This work will
continue to be carried out through studies, research projects, and full-scale technological and eco-
nomic evaluations and demonstrations.
The OSW projects completed or in progress in fiscal year 1977 included the following:
• A project being carried out by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to demonstrate
environmentally acceptable disposal methods at a chemical waste landfill, as well as ex-
plore the operational, financial, and public acceptance issues, is now in its third year.
The 6-year project is supported by a $3.7 million EPA grant.
The grantee is currently seeking an appropriate site for the facility. Siting (and
associated public acceptance issues) has been a major problem to date..
• A demonstration which matched 7 commercial incinerator types with 13 industrial
wastes was completed in December 1976. Very high destruction efficiencies were ob-
tained in rotary kiln, fluidized bed, and liquid injection incinerators, as well as cement
manufacturing kilns. The project demonstrated that incineration is a viable alternative
for management of organic industrial wastes.
• The methods used to locate sites for land disposal of industrial wastes in both the United
States and Europe are being studied. The results of this work will be incorporated into
Section 3004 site location regulations.
• A series of five studies has been completed of methods having the potential to recycle,
recover, detoxify, or reduce the volume of hazardous wastes. The wastes from four
major industry groups were studied to determine the potential for environmentally
acceptable treatment. A number of wastes were found to have potential for recovery
of valuable resources by using chemical, physical, and biological treatment processes.
Further study of these recovery processes seems warranted.
• The ground water beneath 50 industrial waste land disposal sites was sampled; 43 sites
were found to have some degree of ground-water contamination traceable to the disposal
operation. The findings are being incorporated into background documents in support
of regulation of hazardous waste management facilities (Section 3004).
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• Assessment studies were conducted of 15 industry groups thought to be generating wastes
to a significant degree in the potentially hazardous category. The studies characterized
each industry, their wastes, treatment and disposal practices, and costs associated with
waste management. The specific industry groups examined were: (1) batteries, (2) in-
organic chemicals, (3) petroleum refining, (4) organic chemicals, pesticides, and explosives,
(5) Pharmaceuticals, (6) paints, (7) primary metals, (8) metals mining, (9) electroplating,
(10) leather tanning, (11) special machinery, (12) rubber and plastics, (13) electronic
components, (14) textiles, and (15) waste oil re-refining.
It was determined that approximately 200 million metric tons (wet basis) of indus-
trial waste was disposed of on land by the above industries, excluding metals mining,
during 1975. (It should be noted that waste figures for the metals mining industry are
approximately four times the quantities from the other 14 categories combined.) It was
estimated that approximately 29 million metric tons of potentially hazardous industrial
waste was land-disposed by these 14 categories during 1975, i.e., about 14 percent of all
land-destined wastes generated by these industries is potentially hazardous. (OSW esti-
mates that approximately 10 percent of all industrial waste is potentially hazardous.)
The Office of Research and Development is carrying out a number of projects, many of which
are focused on finding safe means of disposal for unwanted stocks of pesticides.
• Under a grant to the Commonwealth of Virginia, time-temperature relationships research
has been conducted to control and dispose of large quantities of Kepone, a highly chlori-
nated hydrocarbon pesticide. This project has as its main goal the generation of enough
valid data so Virginia can build a full-size facility to destroy Kepone. Findings to date
show good success in complete destruction (99.99+%) with acceptable air emissions.
Kepone has also been successfully coincinerated with sewage sludge in a special rotary
kiln and afterburner.
• ORD has contracted with Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory to investigate micro-
wave plasma detoxification of hazardous materials. Primarily concerned with pesticides,
this process shows considerable promise for the detoxification of many organic compounds.
Currently, the project is in phase II, which includes scale-up to a demonstration-sized
reactor of 10-30 Ib/hr throughput.
• The University of Dayton Research Institute is performing laboratory research to determine
necessary conditions for the thermal decomposition of pesticides. This research is con-
ducted to supply data on incineration of several compounds in use and in large supply.
• TRW, Inc., is under contract to research and develop encapsulation techniques. Generally
applied to the pesticides and organic compounds of lower toxicity, this technology is
being studied to supply data on material specifications, necessary precautions to prevent
leaching, and the corrosive and degrading effects of hazardous wastes on the container.
• Pesticide pit disposal and rinsing water disposal techniques are being investigated by
Iowa State University. This research is designed to test overall efficiency of the method,
including investigations into environmental impact and the rate of destruction of selected
compounds.
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• Biodegradation as a processing step for hazardous wastes is being investigated by SCS
Engineers. The objective of this project is to determine the technical, practical, and
economic feasibility of the process. Techniques being investigated include neutralization,
temperature control, biological seeding; and nutrient addition.
• To supply information on air emissions and environmental impact, a contract to sample
and monitor air pollution at hazardous waste facilities is to be awarded. This project will
evaluate the toxicity of byproducts and the health and environmental hazards associated
with a processing plant of this type.
• In an effort to understand the environmental damage already caused, the University of
Illinois was contracted to research the fate of 32 of the most widely used pesticides in
the soil. This study evaluated the pesticides' residual toxicity in the soil, degradation
mechanisms, and forms of control.
• The U.S. Army Edge wood Arsenal is assessing techniques for treating selected hazardous
wastes. This study is an overview of all existing treatment processes and the effectiveness
of these processes for specific classes of hazardous materials.
• The Midwest Research Institute is under contract to define the state of the art of pesticide
disposal. The object is to keep abreast of all current technology and practices for pesticide
disposal and prepare a manual on the techniques available.
Technical Assistance
Beginning in 1973, the Hazardous Waste Management Division of the Office of Solid Waste
established a program of technical assistance at EPA headquarters and has encouraged and assisted
the Regional Offices in establishing similar programs. Requests for technical assistance have been
coming from all sectors of our society, including industry, government, academic institutions, and
the general public, and from foreign countries, via letter, telephone, and personal visits. The assis-
tance provided ranges from supplying copies of EPA publications to the sending of teams of experts
to investigate incidents of improper hazardous waste management practices and to advise on safe
practices and remedial measures. During fiscal year 1977, over 400 separate requests for technical
assistance were handled by the Division, and approximately five times that number were handled
in EPA's 10 Regional Offices. Some examples of major technical assistance activities during this
period include:
• Division staff in cooperation with other elements of EPA and the States of Virginia and
Maryland investigated, analyzed, and recommended methods and procedures for the
proper treatment, storage, or disposal of Kepone and Kepone-contaminated wastes re-
sulting from the Hopewell, Virginia, incident.
• The Division and EPA Region I staff assisted in the packaging, transporting, and disposing
of over 250 tons of excess pesticides improperly stored at Hingham Air Force Base,
Massachusetts.
• Division staff have been involved in all aspects of the investigations for identifying proper
treatment or disposal methods for over 2.3 million gallons of Herbicide Orange in over
41,000 steel drums stored in various locations.
In the course of providing technical assistance, the Division has established a small library of
manuals, reference documents, reports of case studies, etc., which is being used extensively not
only by EPA staff, but also by State and local governments and industries. To disseminate this
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information more widely, during the first 9 months of the fiscal year, 10 workshops and conferences
were held in different sections of the country for State and local government officials. At these
workshops, the contents of the manuals were described in detail, instructions for their use were
reviewed, and lines of communication were established for ready exchange of information.
The State Decision-Makers Guide for Hazardous Waste Management was completed toward
the end of the fiscal year. It reviews issues that have been of concern to existing State programs
or that have become prominent since passage of RCRA. Appendix A of the guide is a model State
hazardous waste act which was developed with the assistance of many State waste agency managers,
the waste management industry, and others.
PROBLEMS
The public meetings and discussions carried out as part of the early regulatory development
activities identified a large number of issues and problems, most of which have been resolved. The
following is a prioritized list of major problems still remaining.
Resources for I mplementation
It is estimated that 20,000 permits will be issued to facilities for the treatment, storage, or
disposal of hazardous wastes. Some 300,000 generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and dis-
posers must respond to the notification system. Inspection, sampling, analysis, enforcement, and
manifest systems are required. The data management and administrative machinery must be set
up to handle all of this. The program will either be carried out voluntarily by the States or it must
be instituted by the EPA Regional Offices. The cost to implement the program is expected to be
upwards of $20 million per year.
The strongest incentive for the States to seek authorization is availability of the program grants
under Section 3011. EPA's estimate is th;at between one-half to two-thirds of the States will seek
authorization if the program is funded at the 85 percent level. Such funding would total $10-$14
million. It is not clear whether Section 3011 funding levels will approach these figures.
Assuming the above estimates of State implementation are correct, over 100 people would
be required in the Regional Offices to implement the Act in those States without authorized
programs. It is unclear whether this level of manpower will be available. Without it, implementa-
tion of the hazardous waste regulatory provisions may be stretched over a much longer period than
the 2 years deemed to be reasonable.
Insufficient Capacity and Public Opposition
The hazardous Vaste management service industry currently has a capacity of about 6 million
metric tons per year. In addition, generators of waste have unknown capacity for disposal on their
premises. The total quantity of hazardous wastes is estimated at around 34 million metric tons per
year. Thus it will be necessary to greatly expand the existing capacity to meet the expected demand.
The potential impact of RCRA on this capacity is unclear. On the one hand, the permit
system will close off the low-cost open-dump option and create a greater demand for the services
of the existing facilities. Also, since the cheap unacceptable disposal alternatives will be eliminated,
the permitted facilities should be able' to charge a fee more commensurate with the value of the
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service rendered. Improved profitability should improve capital availability, leading to expansion.
How quickly this will occur is open to speculation.
On the other hand, the publicity surrounding some of the recent cases of improper disposal
has understandably stimulated local opposition to the siting of new facilities even when they are
acceptable operations. Reports from States with advanced hazardous waste management facility
permitting systems indicate increasing difficulty in permitting new facilities due to local opposi-
tion. The opposition is often an emotional reaction but becomes effective through denial of
zoning or construction permits or through pressure on State officials to deny an operating per-
mit. Active and visible public participation, based on intensive public education efforts, in the
development of hazardous waste programs at State and local levels should help to build positive
public attitudes. Whether these necessary measures will reduce opposition enough to permit well-
justified sitings in the near future is uncertain, however.
Certain wastes (such as dioxin) pose special handling and disposal problems because of extreme
toxicity or explosivity. Some of these problems are technical in nature, but many are generated as '
a result of mistaken public perceptions about the adequacy of safeguards. Heavy local public pres-
sure can build up against disposing of the wastes or even moving it. The net result often involves
building costly disposal facilities on site, even though adequate facilities exist elsewhere.
Because of these difficulties, it is tempting for owners of these wastes to dispose of them
secretly. Under RCRA such disposal will be illegal, but if the volume and frequency of generation
are low enough, it may appear to be worth the risk to the generator. Such actions could pose serious
hazards. In addition to more effective public education and participation measures, some legal au-
thority to override local opposition to movement and disposal when suitable facilities exist seems
called for.
In summary, the capacity for hazardous waste management services must be greatly expanded,
but it is as yet unclear how much expansion there will be to meet the demand created by RCRA
requirements because of capital availability and public opposition factors. It is also unclear what
effect the Federal government can have on the impediments to capacity creation.
Toxicity Testing
There are little data available on the toxicity of specific wastes. All of the toxicity work which
has been done to date relate only to the toxicity of pure substances. Little work has been done on
mixtures of substances and essentially none on wastes (which are mixtures of a sort). Our approach
to this major problem is to define a test simulating the mechanism by which contaminants from
wastes may enter water-and then perform certain tests on the resultant "leachates." The plan in-
cludes testing for toxicity, bioaccumulation potential, and genetic change potential. A grant pro-
gram has been established to evaluate this approach. The goal is the development of a quick, inex-
pensive "screening" test for toxicity of wastes.
PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
Primary attention in fiscal year 1978 will be given to completing the development of the regu-
lations and guidelines (see page 8 for tentative schedule for their issuance).
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Drafts of the Environmental Impact Statement and the Economic Impact Analysis will be
distributed for public comment within 30 days of publication of all the proposed Subtitle C regula-
tions; final versions will be ready at the time the regulations are promulgated.
In addition to the studies and other projects being conducted, as described above, in support
of the development of regulations and technical assistance, projects will be undertaken to support
implementation of the regulatory program. Current plans for such projects include the following:
the development of manuals for hazardous waste transporters, for hazardous waste facility opera-
tors, and in permit application processing and evaluation; a series of State hazardous waste manage-
ment legislative seminars to assist State solid waste management programs in raising the level of
awareness of State legislators about hazardous waste management problems; evaluations of the
impact of the regulations on the hazardous waste treatment and disposal industry; development of
a mechanism to measure the effectiveness of EPA and the States in implementing Subtitle C; infor-
mation packages for the public on hazardous waste management laws and regulations; and market
surveys for waste exchange systems (systems whereby a waste material of one company can be
obtained by another that utilizes such material in its processes).
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Chapter 5
Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction
All the stated objectives of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act are subsumed under
two basic goals—"to promote the protection of health and the environment and to conserve valuable
material and energy resources" (Section 1003). As indicated in Chapter 2, RCRA provisions encour-
age States to include programs for recovering resources from waste and reducing the generation of
waste in their solid waste plans, and resource recovery should be a major focus of the technical assis-
tance panels program. A number of other EPA activities related to resource recovery and waste reduc-
tion are mandated or authorized by the Act, however. Mainly they are concerned with measures to
explore and develop the nation's options in these areas. Because this is a developing field, some
additional background information may be helpful to placing the activities in perspective.
The major potential benefits of resource recovery and waste reduction may be summed up as
follows:
• The demand for land disposal space can be substantially reduced, and therefore the problems
of land disposal can be reduced. Decreased waste generation can also result in reduced
costs of waste collection and litter pickup.
• The energy and materials recoverable from waste represent small but significant portions of
U.S. needs for these resources.
• Recycling, that is, manufacturing using recovered materials, generally results in reduced
quantities of pollutants and requires less energy compared with manufacturing with virgin
materials.
• Reduced waste generation also usually means savings in energy as well as materials and
results in a lessening of the environmental impacts from the entire cycle of resource use,
from extraction of raw materials through disposal.
It is estimated that about 6 percent of municipal solid waste is being recovered at present, and
that the percentage has changed little in recent years. Stronger market demand for recovered materials
and improved methods of recovery are needed before major increases in recovery rates can occur.
Most of the approximately 9 million tons of materials recovered is wastepaper, and most re-
covery is through source separation, the setting aside of recyclable materials at their points of gener-
ation. There is currently renewed interest in source separation of newspaper and corrugated containers
as a result of the upward trend in wastepaper markets following a period of depressed markets
during the 1974-75 recession. The practice of office wastepaper recycling is also increasing; about
500 organizations are now saving and selling their office paper. EPA guidelines on source separation
issued in ApriH976 mandate the recovery of office wastepaper, newspaper, and corrugated containers
from designated Federal facilities.
The aluminum industry has expanded its recycling efforts in the past few years; in 1976, more
than 87,000 tons were collected and the companies increased from 15 cents to 17 cents a pound the
amount paid for clean scrap.
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As yet, the portion of total waste being recovered through mixed-waste processing plants is not
significant, but a number of plants are going into operation in the next few years. As of mid-1976,
there were 21 operational facilities (many of them pilot or demonstration projects), 10 under con-
struction or in final stages of contract negotiation or procurement, 30-35 in "advanced planning,"
and 50-60 localities at the early stage of having commissioned feasibility studies. Nearly all the plants
in operation or under construction are based on energy recovery, although ferrous metal is also re-
covered at most facilities. The energy recovery technology used most widely thus far is waterwall
combustion to produce steam. Another process, recovery of refuse-derived fuel for use as a supple-
ment to coal in existing boilers, is in early stages of commercial application following a demonstra-
tion with EPA grant support in St. Louis. Guidelines requiring Federal facilities to establish and use
resource recovery plants wherever feasible were issued by EPA in September 1976, providing official
encouragement to ongoing efforts of Federal agencies, particularly the Department of Defense.
The beverage container deposit is the waste reduction measure of greatest national interest at
present. In 1976, voters in Maine and Michigan approved deposits for beverage containers, while
voters in Massachusetts and Colorado rejected the proposal. (Deposit laws are already in effect in
Oregon and Vermont.) EPA promulgated Guidelines for Beverage Containers in September 1976
which make deposit systems mandatory for Federal facilities. The possible impacts of a national
deposit law have been analyzed by EPA and other organizations.
These and many other aspects of resource recovery and waste reduction are described in
Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction: Fourth Report to Congress, which was submitted to
Congress and the President by EPA on August 1, 1977. This report was the last in the series prepared
as required by Section 205 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended in 1970 (P.L. 91-512).
RCRA Provisions
Principal RCRA provisions supporting resource conservation are the following:
• The greatest benefit to resource recovery is likely to come from the Subtitle D provisions
relating to land disposal. The removal of environmentally unacceptable land disposal will
eliminate an unrealistically low-cost alternative for waste disposal that has limited the at-
tractiveness of resource recovery. Similarly the regulation of hazardous waste management
should encourage reduction and recovery of hazardous wastes.
• Section 4003 on the minimum requirements for approved State plans, besides closing off
open dumping, explicitly states that "all solid waste . . . shall be (A) utilized for
resource recovery or (B) disposed of in sanitary landfills ... or otherwise disposed of
in an environmentally sound manner." The requirements also include the provision that
no local government within the State shall be prohibited from entering into long-term
contracts for the supply of solid waste to resource recovery facilities. The provisions en-
couraging regional planning and requiring identification of responsible agencies should
also facilitate planning for resource recovery.
• Advice to State and local governments on implementation of resource recovery projects
and programs will be a focus of the technical assistance panels (Section 2003). Recogni-
tion of communities' needs for expert and intensive consultation in the complexities of
these enterprises was a prime basis for Congressional adoption of Section 2003.
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• Section 1008 requires EPA to issue guidelines for solid waste management; this in effect
continues the guideline-writing authority under which the beverage container, source
separation, and other guidelines in the area of resource conservation have been promulgated.
• Under Subtitle H, EPA has wide authority to conduct and support research, demonstrations,
and studies relating to resource recovery and conservation systems. EPA is directed to
enter into contracts to evaluate full-scale solid waste facilities, whether or not they are par-
tially funded by EPA.
• Section 8002 0) establishes the Cabinet-level Resource Conservation Committee, chaired
by the EPA Administrator and comprised of the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, Treas-
ury, and Interior, as well as the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality and a
representative of the Office of Management and Budget. The Committee is charged with
analyzing and reporting recommendations to the President and the Congress on a wide range
of incentives and disincentives to foster resource recovery and conservation. This includes
analysis of the effect of removing existing subsidies and allowances for virgin materials. It
also includes a specific mandate to evaluate the feasibility of solid waste product charges—
an excise tax on products that reflects the cost of collection and disposal of the products.
The Committee is required to report every 6 months over a 2-year period to the President
and the Congress.
• Section 8002 also requires other studies on specific aspects of resource recovery; these re-
late mainly to types of recovery systems and their compatibility, to recoverability of spe-
cific materials (glass, plastics, tires), and to research priorities.
• Section 6002 of the Act requires Federal leadership in procurement of products manufac-
tured from recycled materials. Agencies are instructed to eliminate any bias in specifications
against products containing recycled materials and to procure products containing the highest
percentage of recycled materials practicable. States, localities, and contractors must also
comply with Section 6002 in purchasing with Federal funds. EPA is to write guidelines to
aid agencies in complying with this mandate.
• In Subtitle E the Department of Commerce is assigned various duties to promote resource
recovery: publish guidelines for the development of specifications for secondary materials,
stimulate development of markets for such materials, promote proven resource recovery
technology, and provide for the exchange of technical and economic data on resource re-
covery facilities.
OBJECTIVES
In addition to the activities to assist State and local program development that are described in
Chapter 2, the following objectives with regard to resource recovery and waste reduction were pursued
by EPA in fiscal year 1977:
• Implementation at Federal facilities of the guidelines for source separation, for beverage
container deposits, and for resource recovery facilities.
• Preparation of guidelines for Federal procurement, as required under Section 6002.
• Continued technical assistance, especially to local governments, in planning and imple-
menting resource recovery systems.
• Continued development of knowledge and technology relating to resource recovery and
waste reduction through research, demonstrations, and studies.
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• Organization of the interagency Resource Conservation Committee, submission of the work
plan to Congress, and implementation of the plan.
• Initiation of the studies required by Section 8002 on research priorities in resource re-
covery; source separation and other small-scale systems; compatibility of source separation
with mixed-waste processing systems; and composition of the waste stream.
PROGRAMS
Guidelines
Beverage Containers. The Guidelines for Beverage Containers, issued September 21, 1976, re-
quire that a refundable 5-cent deposit be placed on all containers for beer and soft drinks sold at
Federal facilities. The deposit is intended to encourage the return of containers for either refilling
or recycling.
Compliance will be monitored through a series of reports. EPA will analyze and concur or not
with the agencies' decisions regarding implementation and will track implementation progress. The
monitoring element also includes prototype test programs. The Department of Defense is testing the
guidelines at 10 military bases around the country with encouraging preliminary results. A second
test program was successfully conducted during the summer of 1976 at Yosemite National Park.
In July 1977 the National Park Service began implementing the guidelines throughout its system.
Generally, other Federal agencies are also cooperating. EPA is providing technical advice to imple-
menting agencies.
Source Separation, The Guidelines for Source Separation for Materials Recovery were promul-
gated on April 23, 1976. These guidelines mandate the recovery of high-grade paper, newsprint, and
corrugated boxes from designated Federal facilities. The high-grade fraction of waste in office buildings
ranges from 35 to'75 percent. Recovery of this valuable fiber source from Federal office buildings is
expected to result in savings amounting to approximately $7 million per year. Newsprint and cor-
rugated will be recovered primarily from military bases.
Prototype systems are being started in major Federal office buildings in each Federal Region and
on selected military bases. Before recovery programs are set up, however, viable markets for the paper
must be located. Open bidding procedures are being used to secure buyers. EPA has assisted the
General Services Administration in designing a standardized contract to be used by regional sales offices.
In addition, EPA staff have briefed GSA staff in each Region on all aspects of the program.
In order to assist decision-makers and staff in the evaluation and implementation of high-grade
office paper recovery systems, Office Paper Recovery: An Implementation Manual was published.
It includes marketing and implementation procedures, employee education materials, and an economic
analysis format.
By October 19J7, 71 Federal buildings with 80,000 Federal employees were committed to
joining the program. It is expected that another 200,000 Federal employees will be under the program
by October 1978.
Resource Recovery Facilities. The Guidelines on Resource Recovery Facilities, issued September
21, 1976, require Federal agencies to establish or use resource recovery plants if they have jurisdiction
over any property or facility the administration of which involves the agency in disposal of 100 or
more tons of solid waste per day. This action is to follow implementation of the beverage container
and source separation guidelines. Other Federal facilities in Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas
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disposing of 50 tons or more a day are also under this requirement if the total solid waste for Federal
agencies in the SMSA is 100 tons or more per day. Federal agencies are encouraged to enter into joint
resource recovery ventures among themselves and with nearby communities in order to maximize
economies of scale. The guidelines are thus intended to set a Federal example and to stimulate re-
gional planning for resource recovery.
The agencies' reports on their actions to comply with these guidelines are being reviewed. Ex-
cessive cost or lack of markets are considered to be valid reasons for nonimplementation. EPA is
providing technical assistance to agencies upon request. In December 1976, the lead agency in each
SMSA was designated by EPA. Currently it appears that Federal agencies in about 14 SMSA's may
have enough tonnage of solid waste to consider establishing a resource recovery facility, and those
in 10 to 15 other SMSA's may be readily able to cooperate with nearby cities to establish a plant.
The majority of Federal facilities affected by the guidelines are Department of Defense installations.
Federal Procurement. Section 6002 of RCRA, entitled "Federal Procurement," has as its ob-
jective the creation of a "demand pull" for secondary materials through the power of government
purchasing. All procuring agencies, including the Public Printer, and States, local governments, and
contractors using Federal funds must "procure items composed of the highest percentage of recovered
materials practicable consistent with maintaining satisfactory levels of competition." Exceptions may
be made only when such materials do not meet reasonable performance standards, are only available
at an unreasonable price, or are not available within a reasonable period of time. EPA is charged with
writing guidelines to assist procuring agencies in complying with Section 6002.
Of primary importance in this effort is securing the cooperation and input of affected agencies.
Meetings have been held with the General Services Administration, the Defense Department, the Office
of Procurement Policy, the Department of Commerce, and the Public Printer. Representatives of these
agencies have agreed to participate in a formal working group which will assist in formulating policy
and actual guideline provisions. The advice of industry representatives has been requested; manu-
facturers in the paper, steel, and construction industries, particularly, have been interested in these
guidelines. Public meetings on the guidelines will be held in 1978.
Promulgation of the guidelines is expected by January 1979.
Technical Assistance
While the technical assistance panels program as a whole will not begin until January 1978,
panel-type assistance has been provided in resource recovery implementation since early 1977. Thirty
communities and States were provided with detailed analysis of procurement options for resource
recovery plants, development of negotiating strategy, review of proposals, preparation and review of
requests for proposals, and assistance in establishing source separation operations.
Numerous reports and articles were prepared to supply information needed by public officials
who are considering resource recovery as an option for their community and to enable them to make
sound decisions when implementing recovery systems. Most important of these publications is the
Resource Recovery Plant Implementation Guide Series, which is directed to municipal officials and
has eight parts: Planning and Overview, Technologies, Risks and Contracts, Markets, Accounting
Format, Financing, Procurement, and Further Assistance (sources of information).
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A 2-day seminar ("Resource Recovery Technology: An Implementation Seminar") was de-
veloped and presented in five cities to over 800 people. These discussions of the status of resource
recovery technology and issues of implementation were received with great enthusiasm. Additional
presentations are scheduled for fiscal year 1978.
Research, Demonstrations, Studies
The Office of Solid Waste and the Office of Research and Development have a number of pro-
jects to develop the data base and technology for resource recovery.
Required Studies. Section 8002 requires several studies relating to resource recovery. The
studies of the composition of the waste stream, priorities in research, small-scale and low-technology
systems, and compatibility of source separation with high-technology systems were contracted for in
fiscal year 1977. The Office of Research and Development is the lead office for these projects, with
OSW providing support in reviewing the work scope for each study, reviewing proposals submitted
by contractors, and providing reports or recommendations to Congress.
Source Separation. In order to improve and expand the application of source separation tech-
niques to recover a greater fraction of the nation's waste, EPA has funded studies, demonstrations,
and implementation grants on a limited scale and has published reports on implementation of source
separation at the local level.
Two projects demonstrating multimaterial source separation by households in Marblehead and
Somerville, Massachusetts, have been operating for a year and a half. Paper, glass, and cans are col-
lected separately in a compartmentalized truck. Marblehead, which previously operated a separate
collection program, is recovering about 25 percent of the total solid waste collected from its 23,000
residents. Somerville, a more densely populated community with no previous experience with re-
cycling, is recovering about 8 percent of total solid waste collected from its 90,000 residents. Marble-
head is realizing net savings from the program. The future of the Somerville program is in some doubt
at this time because of labor problems and low participation. Source separation programs in several
other communities are being financially assisted through small implementation grants.
Technology Demonstrations and Evaluations. EPA has funded demonstrations of several systems
of mixed-waste processing for resource recovery.
The technology for producing and burning refuse-derived fuel as a supplement to coal in existing
boilers originated with the EPA demonstration project in St. Louis. That project was completed in
1976, and many communities are now implementing systems patterned after it. An extension of the
concept is being demonstrated through a grant to the State of Delaware.
The Franklin, Ohio, project, designed mainly to determine the feasibility of wet processing solid
waste to recover paper fiber and color-sorted glass, was also completed in 1976. The process appears
economically viable for larger plants with nearby users of the fiber. Since markets for the low-quality
fiber are limited, however, in future applications of this technology the fiber is likely to be used for
fuel. Two large commercial systems of this type are being implemented; both will use the fiber for
fuel.
Two systems for recovering energy from solid waste through pyrolysis (decomposition through
heating in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere) are being demonstrated in Baltimore, Maryland, and San
Diego County, California. Construction is complete on both systems. The Baltimore plant, which
produces steam through combustion of pyrolytic gases, has exhibited numerous mechanical problems
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attributable in large part to the scaling up from pilot plant to large commercial size. The city has
continued to modify and operate the plant after the system designer, Monsanto, discontinued its
involvement. EPA is evaluating the operation. The San Diego plant is undergoing various testing
and startup operations.
A project to demonstrate the recovery of methane from a typical shallow (40-foot deep) sani-
tary landfill is being supported in Mountain View, California. The success cf the testing program has
led to development of a full-scale gas recovery project scheduled to go into operation in late 1977.
The recovered gas will be upgraded and injected into a nearby utility pipeline.
Federal funding for these demonstration projects totals approximately $25 million.
In addition to the evaluations of our demonstration grant projects, we are conducting detailed
technical, economic, and environmental evaluations of other recent commercial-scale resource recov-
ery projects. Evaluations are currently underway of small modular incinerators, the refuse-derived
fuel plant in Ames, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois, and large waterwall combustion units in Europe.
Office of Research and Development. New recovery processes, optimization of existing pro-
cesses, and new uses for recovered materials are being investigated in projects of the Office of Re-
search and Development:
• As a result of funding from the Interagency Energy/Environment R&D Program in fiscal
year 1977, the "Wastes-as-Fuel" program received some much-needed impetus. Some 7
ongoing projects were supplemented and another 15 were initiated with 1977 funds. Of
the $4.1 million Wastes-as-Fuel budget, about 44 percent was spent on continuing the de-
velopment of processes for cofiring waste with coal, 20 percent on development of better
pyrolysis processes, 5 percent on new waste byconversion processes (such as the acid hy-
drolysis conversion to ethanol process), 11 percent on evaluation of waste preprocessing
systems (shredding, air classification, etc.), 7 percent on environmental assessment of
waste-to-energy processes, and the remainder on pollution control technologies for wastes-
as-fuel processes.
Illustrative of the projects that were supplemented in 1977 are: (1) continuation of
research at the Ames, Iowa, coal-burning powerplant (varying ratios of solid waste to coal
were cofired in an effort to characterize technical performance, emission characteristics,
and flue gas corrosivity); (2) expansion of the project in which densified refuse-derived
fuel (e.g., pellets) is cofired with lump coal in an existing institutional stoker-type boiler;
and (3) completion of bench-scale R&D on the concept of utilizing noncatalytic pyrolysis/
polymerization techniques to convert solid waste into polymer gasoline.
Illustrative of the new projects in this area are: (1) the cofiring of municipal solid
waste with fossil fuel in an existing industrial boiler; (2) the pyrolysis of agricultural solid
waste to easily transportable fuel oil or char by use of a mobile pyrolyzer (a cooperative
project with the State of California); and (3) the development of transportable pilot plants
to investigate the pollutant removal efficiency versus cost of various control technologies that
are applicable to water pollution problems of wastes-as-fuel processes.
• The coprocessing of sludge and solid waste is being investigated in several projects.
• A study to identify, develop, and comparatively evaluate methodologies for estimating
the value of several parameters in the design and implementation of a resource recovery
facility was performed. Waste composition and quantity were among the parameters
studied.
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• The development of standard procedures for the sampling and analysis of municipal solid
waste and of refuse-derived fuels and other products of a resource recovery plant is an
ongoing program. Candidate procedures and methodologies are being investigated, with a
complete set of standard procedures as the final objective.
• A study to evaluate .performance of a number of trommels, air classifiers, screens, and other
equipment for the size reduction and separation of municipal solid waste into its individual
components is being conducted, Another study will optimize resource recovery preprocess-
ing systems.
• Costs and benefits of alternative scrap tire management methods, including retreading, en-
ergy recovery, landfilling and other methods are being evaluated. Use of rubberized asphalt
is being demonstrated to assess the technical and economic performance of various rubber-
in-asphalt preparations.
• The use of waste glass mixtures in manufacturing structural clay bricks is being investigated
as a market for waste glass. Another objective is to determine the fluxing ability of glass
and glass slimes, which if effective substantially reduces energy needed to cure bricks.
The Resource Conservation Committee
Shortly after passage of the Act, the Office of Solid Waste assigned four staff members and re-
programmed $250,000 to initiate the interagency Resource Conservation Committee (Section 8002
(j)). The concepts and specific goals for the Committee were developed, and OSW staff began meet-
ing with representatives from the other member agencies. (In addition to the agencies specified in
the law, the Chairman of the Committee invited the Council of Economic Advisors to participate
because of the obvious emphasis on economic incentives in Congress' charge to the Committee. In
August, the Federal Energy Administration, now the Department of Energy, was also invited to par-
ticipate.) The first working meeting with representatives from each member agency was held on
March 24, 1977, and the first public meeting to present and discuss the work of the Committee was
held on April 6. The RCC staff also had several meetings with private industry groups during the
spring.
The objectives of the Committee are to (1) study and evaluate selected policies affecting the
efficiency with which our society uses materials, (2) inform all major interest groups of these policies
and study findings, and (3) present these findings and opinions to Congress in a series of policy re-
ports which express the preferred options and consensus recommendations of the Committee. These
policy reports are to be submitted to the President and Congress at 6-month intervals according to the
mandated reporting schedule.
The Committee's first report, which was a plan for implementing the Committee's mandate, was
submitted to the President and Congress on June 9. The plan was concurred in unanimously by the
Committee members. Extensive review comments by numerous public and private interest groups
were appended to the report. The list of policies to be examined was presented as follows:
1. Incentives and disincentives for recycling and conservation:
Charges—particularly the proposal to place solid waste management charges on con-
sumer products
Subsidies—investment subsidies, operating subsidies
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Deposits and bounty mechanisms
2. Effects of modifying existing public policies:
Percentage depletion allowances for minerals
Capital gains treatment of timber
Severance taxes
Freight rates and regulations
Government-supported research and development
Pollution control regulatory programs
Federal tax treatment of pollution control investments (e.g., pollution control re-
venue bonds)
3. Product regulation as a conservation tool:
Recycled material content specifications
Product durability standards
Bans on use of hazardous materials
Product design requirements
Material rationing schemes
President Carter's Environmental Message was presented on May 23, after the Committee's
first report had been completed for printing. In his message, the President highlighted the work of
the Committee and stated that:
I am asking the Committee to accelerate its study and within six months present
to me its first recommendations which are to address the use of solid waste dis-
posal charges (levies on materials and products which reflect the costs associated
with their ultimate disposal).
The original schedule presented in the implementation plan called for the Committee to pre-
sent its initial conclusions regarding the solid waste disposal charge in the fall of 1977. The President
instructed the Committee to accelerate its work so as to make recommendations about that time. A
report on the disposal charge issue is expected to be completed in early 1978. Another report, regard-
ing Federal legislation on beverage container deposits, will be submitted at about the same time.
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Interagency Agreement with Department of Commerce
Cooperative action between EPA and the Department of Commerce is required in implementing
several parts of the Act. Moreover, some of the duties assigned to the Secretary of Commerce under
Subtitle E are similar to activities which EPA is required to carry out. The advisability of drawing up
an interagency agreement on implementation of RCRA was therefore apparent, and such an agreement
was drafted in 1977 but has not yet been concluded.
PROBLEMS
Demonstration Program. The resource recovery demonstration grants have enabled cities to ac-
cept the risks of trying out new systems at commercial scale. Only through such demonstrations can
the actual technical and economic feasibility of systems be known. Both from the successes and pro-
blems of the demonstrations a great deal has been learned, and, as indicated earlier, the knowledge is
being utilized in many communities. The field is still in an early stage of development, however, and
many options remain to be explored. A number of them are now at the stage at which commercial-
scale demonstration would be appropriate; for example, use of refuse-derived fuel in cement manu-
facture, coprocessing of sludge and municipal solid waste for energy recovery, and use of densified
refuse-derived fuel. Also much more could be learned about the potentials of multimaterial source
separation through additional demonstrations in different settings and using different techniques
and equipment. It appears that new demonstrations should therefore be added to the present pro-
gram in order to take advantage of these opportunities for further progress in resource recovery. At
present, however, partly due to the demands of mandated RCRA activities, funds are not available
for such projects.
Markets. Markets for recovered materials are very weak compared with those for virgin materials.
This is a constant obstacle facing efforts to establish recovery mechanisms. The costs of recovery are
frequently unjustified by the revenues obtainable for recovered materials. Appropriate measures are
needed to correct market inequities that cause secondary materials to remain undervalued.
Resource Conservation Committee. The Resource Conservation Committee has both high po-
tential and high risks. The Committee is a prime forum for debating and formulating a national ma-
terials policy program. Committee recommendations would essentially represent an Administration
consensus and, since Congress has had a long-standing interest in this area, the likelihood of important
national materials policies being enacted on the basis of the recommendations would be promising.
A wide range of interests is represented on the Committee, however, and it is already clear that the
meshing of viewpoints and coordination of efforts required to achieve the potentials of the project
constitute a formidable challenge.
Technical Assistance Panels. The efforts of the panels program will parallel and support the
other Federal and State activities under RCRA. Priority attention will therefore be given to the open-
dump inventory, development of State hazardous waste regulatory programs, and State plan develop-
ment in general. Although it was the need for intensive assistance for local resource recovery systems
that originally prompted the idea of establishing technical assistance panels, with the present level of
funding and personnel the amount of assistance that can be devoted to resource recovery projects
will probably be severely limited.
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATION
National Mandatory Deposits on Beverage Containers. For over 5 years, EPA and others have
studied the concept and expected impacts of requiring deposits on beer and soft-drink containers.
A uniform national deposit system resulting in the refilling or recycling of containers may offer sig-
nificant benefits. The Resource Conservation Committee is formulating recommendations to the
Congress and the President regarding such a system.
Definition of "Recovered Material." Section 6002 of the Act requires procurement with
Federal funds to be of "items composed of the highest percentage of recovered materials practicable."
"Recovered material" is defined broadly in Section 1004 as "material which has been collected or
recovered from solid waste." In addition to materials which have been used and discarded (post-
consumer waste), this definition would include any residual material which may be generated during
a manufacturing or resource extraction operation. Some of these residuals are actually byproducts
and are already commonly used. Thus the present definition could undermine the objective of
Section 6002—to expand materials recovery—by allowing current practices of utilizing readily avail-
able, economically retrievable materials to result in de facto compliance with the requirement of the
Section.
The definition of recovered materials might therefore be amended to include only materials re-
covered from converter/fabricator operations and post-consumer waste or are otherwise not currently
being used.
PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
In addition to the technical assistance and State program development efforts described in
Chapter 2, the following EPA activities in resource recovery and waste reduction are planned for
fiscal year 1978:
Guidelines. Implementation reports on the beverage container guidelines were due from all
Federal agencies by December 1977. EPA is analyzing each of these reports and will concur or not
concur with each agency's decision regarding implementation. A notice of availability of non-
implementation reports will be published in the Federal Register. Technical assistance in implement-
ing the guidelines will continue to be provided. The program for testing the guidelines by the Depart-
ment of Defense will be completed in 1978.
Work will also continue on the government-wide implementation of the source separation guide-
lines and the resource recovery facility guidelines. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the preparation
of the guidelines on Federal procurement and the monitoring of Federal compliance with Section 6002.
Research, Demonstration, Studies. The required studies on composition of the waste stream,
R&D priorities, small-scale systems, and compatibility of source separation and mixed-waste process-
ing will be completed in fiscal year 1978. The required studies on glass and plastics, tires, and re-
source recovery facilities will be started. The Office of Research and Development will continue its
other programs of experimentation and development in resource recovery technology.
New evaluation efforts by OSW will include an examination of the "Torrax" pyrolysis system
and certain refuse-derived fuel systems.
The present demonstrations of resource recovery facilities and source separation will continue
to be monitored. Case studies of resource recovery implementation will be published, as well as other
reports, articles, and guides.
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Resource Conservation Committee. The study program of the Resource Conservation Com-
mittee will be completed in fiscal year 1978. The final report is scheduled to be submitted to the
President and the Congress in October 1978, but slippage into early 1979 appears likely. An interim
report is scheduled for the spring of 1978. The Committee will be conducting numerous contract
and in-house studies to support these reports. Several public meetings will be held and regular dis-
cussions with industry groups are also anticipated. The Committee will hold discussion meetings
on roughly a quarterly basis and there will be weekly dialogue between EPA staff and staffs of other
member agencies throughout this period.
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Chapter 6
Public Participation
and Information Activities
In view of the nature and complexity of the issues that RCRA addresses, the voluntary changes
in institutional and individual habits and attitudes it is intended to stimulate, and the difficult di-
rect and indirect regulatory actions it prescribes, its successful implementation depends on a high
level of public understanding and participation. Fortunately the Act contains an array of public in-
formation and participation provisions.
Section 7004 requires that public participation in implementation of all parts of the Act be pro-
vided for, encouraged, and assisted by EPA and the States. EPA, in cooperation with the States, is
to develop and publish minimum guidelines for such public participation.
Section 8003 requires EPA to develop, collect, evaluate, and coordinate information in key sub-
ject areas; rapidly disseminate this information; implement programs to promote citizen understanding;
and establish a central reference library on solid waste management.
The Office of Solid Waste for some years has had an active information program directed to both
technical and general audiences, a computerized information storage and retrieval system, and, since
1972, a program of grants to organizations (civic, environmental, and consumer groups, labor unions,
etc.) to support educational activities. With the passage of RCRA these programs naturally formed
the base for implementation of the mandates for information and education programs. They were
also considered to be necessary adjuncts to the public participation program, since only informed
citizens can participate effectively and constructively in the complex decision-making called for by
RCRA.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives for fiscal year 1977 were the following:
• Informing the public of the provisions of RCRA and their implications.
• Providing opportunities for public participation in implementation of the Act.
• Developing the guidelines for public participation.
• Continuing the program to produce and distribute information materials on solid
waste management; the citizen education grants program, with orientation toward public
participation in RCRA implementation; and the literature search and library services through
the Solid Waste Information Retrieval System.
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PROGRAMS
Public Participation
The mandated deadlines of RCRA assured that the efforts to implement many of the regulations,
guidelines, etc., would have to start immediately. In order for there to be public input in these initial
efforts and in early planning for implementation as a whole, public participation activities also had to
begin without delay. Public meetings were therefore scheduled, the first being an all-day meeting in
Washington on December 16, 1976.
Over 200 persons representing industries, environmental groups, State governments, etc., at-
tended that meeting, which included short presentations by key EPA staff but featured the eliciting
of comments, suggestions, and questions from the audience. Similar meetings were held in all the
Regions during January through March, 1977.
In the meantime a general plan for public participation was drawn up to guide the program
until the formal guidelines were developed. This plan was approved by the EPA Administrator and
published in February 1977; its basic features were later incorporated into the guidelines.
A main element of the plan was to hold public meetings, hearings, conferences, and workshops
throughout the country on a schedule in accord with major developments in carrying out the key
provisions of the Act. Approximately 100 public meetings were held on various sections of the law
during the fiscal year. Transcripts of the hearings and meetings were made available to all interested
persons.
Guidelines on Public Participation
A draft of the minimum guidelines required under Section 7004 was approved by the EPA
working group in June 1977 and sent out to over 300 reviewers covering the spectrum of interest
groups and levels of government. A public meeting was held in July to receive comments. A second
draft was completed August 26, reviewed, and revised. The guidelines are scheduled for publication in
January 1978.*
The guidelines apply not only to EPA but also to State governments and regional and local
agencies receiving financial assistance under the Act.
In addition to the pattern of public meetings described above, public participation is described
in the guidelines as including: the formation of review groups and ad hoc committees which may
meet periodically to review and comment on major programs, regulations, and plans being considered
or under development; the development of educational programs so that all levels of the governmental
community and the public have the opportunity to become aware of the significance of the technical
data and the issues which emerge from it; and the use of all other appropriate established mechanisms
to ensure public involvement, such as Federal Register notices of proposed rulemaking.
Each agency is required to conduct a continuing program of public information and participa-
tion. This program is to include provision of appropriate information to those who are interested
in or affected by the decision-making. Each agency is to also provide technical and information
assistance to public groups for citizen education activities. The guidelines specify minimum require-
ments regarding public hearings and other public meetings. Various other requirements are included
to assure opportunity for public participation.
*PubIished January 12,1978, Federal Register, 43:1902.
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Information Programs
To develop public awareness of RCRA and its provisions, to meet the real demand for informa-
tion about the Act, and to stimulate public participation, EPA developed a variety of materials-sum-
maries, news releases, TV-radio public service announcements, fact sheets, and an exhibit. The printed
materials were widely distributed and provided in bulk to OSW grantees carrying out public education
programs and to the States and local governments who requested materials for distribution.
As the preceding chapters have indicated, numerous guides and reports are being developed,
mainly for use by State and local governments and technical specialists, by Office of Solid Waste per-
sonnel and contractors and grantees. These are published through the Government Printing Office or
the National Technical Information Service. Articles are also prepared for professional and trade
journals. The Office of Research and Development publishes technology transfer reports for public
administrators and also issues reports through the National Technical Information Service. (See
Appendix for list of publications during fiscal year.)
To make the technical information readily accessible to the interested lay public, pamphlets,
films, slide shows, and other materials are developed and distributed. Some of the efforts currently
underway and their relationship to RCRA provisions are shown on Charts I-IV. These materials will
be made available to State and local governments for use in their public participation and information
programs.
In fiscal year 1977, the Solid Waste Information Retrieval System (SWIRS) conducted over 900
literature searches. Users were in government, universities, industry, Congress, etc. The information
bank contains over 42,000 abstracts dating from 1964. During fiscal year 1977 approximately 5,800
new abstracts were added. SWIRS also includes a library containing the abstracted documents; these
are available through the interlibrary loan system.
Citizen Education Grants
The general purpose of the citizen education grants is to enable programs to be conducted
whereby citizens can develop an understanding of the issues in RCRA implementation and solid waste
management and therefore participate constructively in local, State, and Federal decision-making.
Prior to passage of RCRA, two grants had been awarded for fiscal year 1977. One was to the National
Wildlife Federation for conducting education programs on rural solid waste management, with empha-
sis on environmentally sound land disposal, in Mississippi and Montana. The program in Montana
helped that State move toward development of a State solid waste management plan. The Mississippi
program is still in progress. The second grant, to the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International
Union, supported two workshops on hazardous waste management for the membership.
After passage of RCRA, the Office of Solid Waste augmented the budget for citizen education
grants, and two additional programs were selected for funding: To support implementation of RCRA
overall, the Environmental Action Foundation will expand its nationwide solid waste communications
coalition of citizens and update the coalition leaders on RCRA issues and how to encourage public
participation in the local and State programs. The League of Women Voters Education Fund will con-
duct workshops in five States focusing on State implementation of RCRA provisions with emphasis
on hazardous waste regulation. Grants for fiscal year 1977 totaled $215,000.
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PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
Implementation of the public participation guidelines will be the major new effort in fiscal year
1978. The Office of Solid Waste will work with the public participation officer in each Region to
bring about implementation and monitor progress. At the Federal level, approximately 50 hearings
and public meetings will be held around the country on the regulations, guidelines, and programs under
development.
To assist the State and local governments in their efforts to inform and involve the public, EPA
will provide information materials and, as funds allow, grant assistance for educational programs. A
total plan has been put together, grouping citizen activities, publications, graphics, and public parti-
cipation activities to support RCRA's major thrusts through fiscal year 1978 (Charts I-IV).
The citizen activities projects will include the programs of the League of Women Voters Educa-
tion Fund and the Environmental Action Foundation which were funded in late fiscal 1977. Examples
of other projects proposed for funding include: broad public participation programs on all RCRA pro-
visions in certain key States; to help implement Subtitle C, public education programs on hazardous
waste disposal, development of a model workshop to orient health professionals on the health-related
aspects of solid waste management and RCRA provisions, and conferences of State legislators and key
concerned citizens on hazardous waste management and its incorporation into State solid waste pro-
grams; and a series of workshops around the country to develop public awareness of the problems of
sludge management.
An intensive effort is planned for development of information materials that State and local
agencies as well as EPA can use to inform the public on solid waste issues and RCRA implementation.
At the same time the development, publication, and distribution of technical information and the
information retrieval and library services will continue.
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Chapter 7
Brief Reports
from the EPA Regional Offices
The 10 EPA Regional Offices are assisting the Office of Solid Waste in the development of
the policies, regulations, guidelines, and programs under RCRA. Moreover the Regional Offices
have lead responsibility for working with State and local governments to achieve implementation
of RCRA. This includes overseeing the Federal grants, assisting in developing acceptable programs
under Subtitles C and D, and serving as the focal point for technical assistance for specific problems
related to solid waste disposal and resource conservation systems.
In order to include in the annual report some of the experiences and observations of the
Regional staffs, they were asked to contribute brief reports describing notable RCRA-related
activities and problems in their respective parts of the country. The resulting body of information,
while various in coverage, does serve to add detail and different perspectives to the overall picture
of RCRA implementation presented in the previous chapters.
REGION I
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
The Regional public meetings covering the total
Act, held in February in Worcester, Massachusetts,
and Concord, New Hampshire, demonstrated sub-
stantial public interest in the new law. Over 500
people attended the meetings. Approximately 50 per-
cent of them represented State and local governments,
33 percent came from private industry, and the re-
mainder consisted of private citizens and public
interest groups.
Interest in local recycling continues to grow in
New England. The response to a recent questionnaire
sent to municipal and environmental groups identified
approximately 200 municipally sponsored recycling
projects in New England. The results of this survey
were published by the Regional Office for public dis-
tribution.
In July 1977 the John F. Kennedy Federal Build-
ing in Boston initiated an office paper recycling pro-
gram which will serve as a prototype for similar pro-
grams at other Federal facilities in the Region.
In New Hampshire there are currently seven rural
resource recovery facilities in existence with several
more in the proposal stage. These facilities incor-
porate separation of recyclable material in the home
followed by simple processing, i.e., baling of paper,
cans, etc., at the recycling facility to facilitate trans-
port and sale at the nearest market. In Maine, the
city of Auburn with assistance from EPA is currently
implementing a small energy recovery system which
will utilize the city's solid waste to produce steam
for use by a local industry.
The New England State solid waste management
agencies continue to work on the implementation of
resource recovery options. The Connecticut Resource
Recovery Authority's project in Bridgeport, Con-
necticut, began construction during December 1976
and is scheduled to begin operation during March
1978. The Rhode Island Solid Waste Management
Corporation issued a request for qualifications during
January 1977 as a preliminary step to selecting a re-
source recovery system to service the disposal needs
of the greater Providence area. The Massachusetts
Bureau of Solid Waste Disposal is currently negotia-
ting a final contract with Universal Oil Products to
construct a resource recovery system which will gen-
erate electric power for sale to New England Electric.
Additional projects are in the planning stages for
West Suburban Boston, Worcester, and Springfield,
Massachusetts.
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The new Federal solid waste law will have signifi-
cant impact on land disposal practices in New Eng-
land. It seems likely that the upcoming State inven-
tories will find numerous sites in need of upgrading.
Two States, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, have
completed hazardous waste surveys. These surveys
will be valuable inputs to the development of compre-
hensive hazardous waste management programs. In
April 1977, Vermont passed comprehensive solid
waste management legislation which provides enab-
ling authority to allow the Agency of Environmental
Conservation to regulate hazardous wastes from the
point of generation to ultimate disposal. The Vermont
legislation represents an important step toward assu-
ming authorization for the hazardous waste permit
provisions of the new Federal law.
The Regional Office completed a PCB (polychlori-
nated biphenyl) waste management survey in Novem-
ber 1976 and published a report of the findings. The
survey points out a serious problem: there is an
absence of environmentally acceptable ultimate land
disposal capacity for hazardous waste in New Eng-
land.
Progress was made in responding to several specific
hazardous waste problems in the Region. For
example, the Massachusetts Department of Environ-
mental Management with assistance from EPA nego-
tiated a contract with a private company to process
and dispose of 200 tons of excess pesticides which
were stored at a State park in Hingham, Massachusetts.
REGION II
(New Jersey, New York,
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
Regional solid waste management personnel have
initiated an office paper separation program at the
U.S. Customs House in the World Trade Center. This
joint effort between the Regional EPA and General
Services Administration staff will serve to demon-
strate the feasibility and benefits of such programs
for most Federal buildings in the New York City area.
Several major technical assistance projects are
underway in the Region. Most are aimed at assisting
local governments in the procurement of resource re-
covery systems. A few projects"are being conducted
to assist communities in the management and opera-
tion of their solid waste collection systems. All of
these technical assistance efforts are considered pre-
cursors to the "Resource Conservation and Recovery
Panels" assistance program mandated by Section
2003 of RCRA.
The Regional office has developed strong relation-
ships with the various State solid waste management
organizations in the Region. State representatives
have been extremely cooperative and we expect State
implementation of Subtitles C and D of RCRA to be
very extensive. All but one of the States in the Region
has completed or is in the process of conducting
hazardous waste surveys. Those States have basic solid
waste enabling legislation and rules and regulations
applicable to hazardous waste. Some modifications
may be necessary but it is too early to be sure of
specific areas requiring change. The Section 3006
guidelines will provide the needed measures of per-
formance when they are promulgated. In addition, all
of the States in the Region are expected to play an
active role in the conduct of the open dump inventory
mandated by Section 4005.
While a single public meeting regarding RCRA
would have sufficed to meet the minimum require-
ment of initial public participation, Region II per-
sonnel held small "satellite" meetings in Rochester,
New York; New Brunswick, New Jersey; and San
Juan, Puerto Rico, to complement our main meeting
in New York City. These additional meetings enabled
us to obtain input from parties who would have been
otherwise unable to assist us because of the time and
effort required to travel to New York City. In addi-
tion, the Regional Office sponsored a specialized
public meeting in Buffalo, New York, regarding the
Section 3005 hazardous waste facility permit pro-
gram. Representatives of State and local governments,
industrial generators of hazardous waste, operators
of hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities,
environmental groups, and members of the general
public were in attendance. A specialized meeting was
also held in San Juan for Federal facility representa-
tives in the Caribbean area to explain the various
EPA guidelines now in effect at Federal installations
and to examine the Federal sector's responsibilities
under RCRA.
REGION III
(Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia)
In the hazardous waste area, an EPA grant to Mary-
land aided the State in developing and passing
hazardous waste legislation that is presently being
implemented. An offshoot of this endeavor was the
State's development of an automated data processing
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program that can be construed to be the nucleus of a
manifest system as mandated in Subtitle C of RCRA.
The Regional solid waste management staff, in
concert with the Hazardous Waste Management Divi-
sion, OSW, held hazardous waste seminars at selected
cities throughout the Region, namely, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. The pur-
pose of these seminars was to raise the level of con-
sciousness of first-line supervisors and workers con-
cerning the danger of hazardous materials being
shipped for ultimate disposal.
We are working with OSW, ORD, consultants,
State and local governments, and other regional pro-
fessionals in developing environmentally sound op-
tions for the disposal of Kepone, Kepone-laden
sludges, and other contaminated objects. Within the
past several months we investigated a citizen's com-
plaint concerning a chlorine gas emissions problem at
a landfill located near Charleston, West Virginia. It
was ascertained after visiting the site and consulting
with appropriate State officials that no "imminent
hazard" existed at the site.
The Regional Office reviews solid waste manage-
ment grant applications to the Appalachian Regional
Commission and evaluates the efficiency of their on-
going projects. The grant recipients are kept abreast
of the latest technology and of developments under
RCRA. We encourage the utilization of resource re-
covery principles wherever feasible.
Regional solid waste staff members are also work-
ing members and alternates on State executive boards
that deal primarily with solid waste management
issues, particularly the impact of new Federal legis-
lation on existing State solid waste management laws.
The solid waste staff is presently working with the
air and water professionals to look at possible environ-
mental impacts that could occur with construction of
a new steel plant that is being proposed and designed
by the United States Steel Company. Factors and
issues that we have brought to the attention of the
company and the contractor developing U.S. Steel's
Environmental Impact Statement are: the State
agencies that will be involved in regulating the dis-
posal sites; recycling or reuse of the wastes; life expec-
tancy of existing landfills; logistics involved in de-
veloping new ones; how hazardous wastes will be
handled; and what impact the operation will have on
future land use plans of the area.
Numerous meetings were held with our State solid
waste management directors to keep them apprised
of the progress in the development of guidelines and
regulations under the Act. Documents that are sent
out to us for review are also sent to the States for
their comments when deemed advisable by the author
or desk officer for the issuance. Staff members con-
stantly answer inquiries from local officials about the
impact of RCRA on their communities.
To insure that all interested parties had an op-
portunity to discuss their concerns about RCRA, the
Regional Office held two public participation meet-
ings, one in Richmond, Virginia, the second in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania.
To date, the overwhelming concern of our State
directors is the funding of RCRA beyond fiscal year
1979. All States have applied for interim funding.
REGION IV
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee)
Southeastern Solid Waste Management Training
Committee. The State directors in Region IV orga-
nized a training committee, composed of the Regional
solid waste staff and the eight State directors, with
the objective of nroviding some essential solid waste
training for State and local solid waste employees.
Training courses will be developed based on the need
indicated by the State directors, with at least one
course each fiscal year. The first training course was
conducted in November 1976 with approximately 50
State and local employees attending. The course was
designed for new entry personnel and covered the
complete spectrum of general solid waste manage-
ment. Another course is being developed for the first
quarter of fiscal 1978.
Workshop for Federal Agencies. The Regional
Office conducted a workshop on April 15, 1977,
with the objective of providing guidance relating to
RCRA to all Federal agencies in Region IV. As part
of the program, the State directors explained the dis-
posal permit requirements for each of the eight States.
Cleanup of Hazardous Wastes in Marion County,
Kentucky. An illegal dump site for paint waste and
other industrial waste in Marion County, Kentucky,
was discovered when a truck hauling paint wastes
overturned, spilling the material. The solvents in the
waste subsequently percolated through about 18
inches of soil and dissolved a PVC plastic water supply
pipe serving that area. When the State of Kentucky
discovered the illegal site, it was immediately re-
stricted. EPA was asked to help in cleaning up the
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site, which contained about 600 barrels of industrial
waste. Representatives of Kentucky and EPA made
plant visits to the two Cincinnati, Ohio, generators of
these particular wastes to enlist their help in cleaning
up the site. The generators agreed to take the wastes
back and have them disposed of properly if the land-
owner would take them out of the trenches and load
them onto a truck. The hazardous wastes were subse-
quently removed and the site closed out. Private wells
in the area are being monitored as a precautionary
measure. EPA provided onsite technical assistance
during each phase of the operation.
This incident demonstrated vividly to Kentucky
that the State had little control over hazardous
wastes. It furthermore served notice on hazardous
waste generators in that area that the generator would
be ultimately asked to clean up any mess caused by
improper disposal of hazardous wastes. The incident
strengthened State-EPA relations in hazardous waste
control. A legislative package for control of hazardous
wastes is soon to be developed. It will be submitted
to the Kentucky Legislature, which convenes in
January 1978.
Herbicide Orange Disposal. The Regional staff is
also working closely with the U.S. Air Force to see
that residuals contaminated with Herbicide Orange
are stored and disposed safely. The rinsed steel drums
are crushed, stored, and covered, awaiting recycling
by a steelmill. Other contaminated residuals, such
as lumber, rags, etc., are being analyzed for dioxin
content and will be buried in a suitable landfill in
Mississippi.
Louisville Sludge Contamination. We provided
technical assistance to the State of Kentucky for the
disposal of Louisville sewage sludge contaminated
with hexachlorocyclopentadiene. A list of possible
hazardous waste disposal sites was furnished, and it
was determined that the contaminated sludge in the
digesters could probably be incinerated safely onsite
in the existing multiple-hearth incinerators.
Velsicol Dump in Hardeman County, Tennessee.
The Velsicol Chemical Corporation is believed to have
disposed of approximately 300,000 drums(55-gallon
capacity) of liquid and solid residues from the manu-
facture of certain pesticides at a 300-acre landfill
site in Hardeman County, Tennessee, between 1964
and 1972. The site is the largest known pesticide
dump in Region IV.
A study by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1966-67
indicated that some of the waste had migrated verti-
cally to a depth of 90 feet and laterally to a distance
of 25 feet. Chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds were
detected in surface washoff, indicating an overland
movement of pesticide waste residues. EPA and the
Tennessee Department of Public Health are coopera-
ting with the Geological Survey in further studies to
determine the extent and direction of migration of
the buried pesticide residues, and the extent of
ground-water contamination.
REGION V
(Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin)
RCRA Implementation Meetings. A number of
meetings were held in Region V to discuss RCRA
implementation and to elicit comments from the
States and other concerned parties for consideration
in the development of regulations and programs.
Among the most notable of these meetings were the
following: (1) A meeting was held January 25
between Regional staff, headquarters personnel, and
representatives of the State solid waste management
agencies to discuss implementation of RCRA. The
States first met separately to identify their mutual
interests and to give priority to those issues which
they believed most significant for their individual pro-
grams. (2) A public meeting was held in Chicago on
March 21 and 22 to discuss RCRA implementation;
over 235 persons attended. (3) Regional and head-
quarters staff made a presentation and received a sub-
stantial response from State representatives at a meet-
ing on March 23 at O'Hare Airport. State personnel
attending included representatives from Nebraska and
Iowa as well as Region V States. The dialogue cen-
tered on the draft of the Guidelines for Identification
of Regions and Agencies for Solid Waste Management
and on issues related to the State hazardous waste
programs. (4) At a meeting in Chicago on June 24,
Subtitle D issues were discussed by State representa-
tives and EPA Regional and headquarters staff. Modi-
fications were proposed regarding the conduct of the
open dump inventory and the preciseness of the land
disposal criteria.
Hazardous Wastes. Recent hazardous waste man-
agement activities included participation in the Ke-
pone incineration testing in Toledo, Ohio; a presenta-
tion to the annual conference of the Wisconsin Liquid
Waste Haulers concerning RCRA and its potential
impacts; a meeting for the same purpose with the
American Petroleum Institute Committee on Refinery
Environmental Control, Subcommittee on Solid Waste;
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and preparation of guidance for each State in the
Region regarding development of their programs.
Comprehensive hazardous waste management legisla-
tion is being considered in Ohio; the Regional staff
has reviewed and commented on the two bills under
consideration.
Resource Recovery. At the request of the chair-
man of the Wisconsin Recycling Authority Board,
Region V staff participated in the review of the
Authority's request for proposals issued to procure
a resource recovery facility and operating contract
for Wisconsin's Region I (Outagamie, Winnebago, and
Fond du Lac Counties). EPA consultants were also
asked to review the RFP. Substantial modifications
were recommended and most of them were incor-
porated. The RFP was issued in May, and proposals
are due in September.
As a major technical assistance client, Hennepin
County, Minnesota, is proceeding deliberately in its
approach to procuring a system. In May, Region V
staff met with a county representative to critique
the proposed work plan and to underscore the impor-
tance of completing certain tasks before making a
commitment to issue an RFP. Partially as a result of
our recommendation, the county board appointed an
energy subcommittee who will guide the county staff
in selecting a procurement option, initiate and direct
negotiations with the City of Minneapolis for the
waste supply, and report to the full Board on the
project's progress.
A series of meetings were held among representa-
tives of EPA, the city of Chicago, and Commonwealth
Edison to discuss the proposed EPA evaluation of the
city's resource recovery plant. Verbal agreement as to
the substance of the evaluation was reached. The city
is in the process of completing its grant application
for approximately $150,000 to offset its cost in pro-
viding data and resources for the evaluation.
Region V staff also provided technical assistance
for prospective resource recovery projects in Detroit,
St. Paul, Brown County (Wisconsin), and Marquette,
Michigan.
REGION VI
(Arkansas, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)
Regional planning and hazardous waste control are
two prime areas of concern in the Region VI States.
The solid waste management systems in Region VI
vary from the sophisticated systems serving a major
metropolitan area to the austere arrangements for
geographical areas having population densities of less
than one person per square mile. Large areas have a
low population distribution, making it difficult to
manage municipal wastes in an environmentally
acceptable manner and remain within the constraints
of local government budgeting. Thus, the concept of
regional solid waste management is a basic issue in
these States.
One example of a regional system in operation is
the Arbuckle Solid Waste Trust, created by the
Southern Oklahoma Development Association to pro-
vide a solid waste management system for Murray and
Garvin Counties. The system became operational in
August 1973 after an 18-month period of negotiation
with each community. The system originated with six
compactor trucks serving seven towns in the two
counties. All wastes were deposited in a sanitary land-
fill near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Early negotiations
for a landfill were especially difficult, but finally the
site near Pauls Valley was leased and operations be-
gun. Landfill operations were well-maintained so that
negotiations for future sites would be less difficult. In
fact, upon completion of the existing site, volunteers
were offering land at a minimum lease to the Trust
Manager for a new landfill site.
The Arbuckle Solid Waste Trust has survived the
energy crisis, the rising spiral of inflation, and numer-
ous renegotiations of local communities' participation
in the Trust. It is the only surviving multicounty sys-
tem in the State and continues to provide environ-
mentally acceptable management of the solid waste of
11 local communities in two counties. Technical and
operational assistance was provided by the EPA Re-
gional Office on a scheduled basis for the first 2 years
and then on an as-needed basis.
Petrochemical wastes rank high in terms of quan-
tity among the types of industrial hazardous wastes
generated within the Region. Environmental problems
associated with these and other hazardous wastes
have resulted in special action by the States.
The Texas Department of Water Resources has
long been interested in the environmentally acceptable
management of industrial wastes and industrial hazard-
ous wastes. This interest culminated in the develop-
ment of a hazardous waste management program
which began in 1974 with two part-time employees
and has grown to an active program with more than
25 full-time employees in 1977. An EPA grant in
1975 assisted in developing a manifest system, rules
and regulations, a pilot control study in the Houston
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area, and the start of a hazardous waste inventory.
The enactment of rules and regulations during Jan-
uary 1976, under existing Water Quality legislation,
and establishment of guidelines in July 1976 accel-
erated the program toward the goal of an effective
statewide program. OSW has been assisted by the
staff of the Texas Department of Water Resources in
developing rules and regulations concerning all areas
of hazardous waste management.
In Oklahoma, unsound disposal practices for
industrial and hazardous wastes resulted in the enact-
ment of a Controlled Industrial Waste Act in Septem-
ber 1976. Enactment required less than 12 months.
Rules and regulations for implementing the Act be-
came effective July 1, 1977, and provide the State
Department of Health the necessary authority to
regulate controlled industrial waste in the State.
A measure that should prove valuable in the effort
under RCRA to assure safe land disposal was under-
taken in 1975 when the Texas Department of Health
Resources decided to computerize its list of land dis-
posal sites and include the report on each site inspec-
tion as a part of the computer program. An EPA grant
supported this effort. The system can display the
status of any disposal site in the State. In addition,
the system can forecast the manpower needs for a
surveillance program. This sophisticated management
tool is being actively considered by two adjoining
States for in elusion in their programs. The three States
are investigating the use of this concept in developing
an additional system to facilitate the tracking of inter-
state shipments of hazardous waste.
REGION VII
(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
The Regional Office efforts in 1977 included
assisting States to develop land disposal strategies in
conformity with the requirements of RCRA and to
implement the guidelines for identification of regions
and agencies. Work programs to conduct the land dis-
posal inventory, upgrade regulations on land disposal,
update the State solid waste management plans, de-
velop a hazardous waste management plan, and pro-
vide for resource recovery and conservation programs
are under development by all four State agencies.
The State agencies are also being encouraged to design
and implement public participation programs and in-
crease technical assistance to local agencies in imple-
mentation of the open dumping ban required under
the Act.
In the area of hazardous waste management, the
Region VII States were encouraged in 1975 to initiate
surveys and program designs. Through bimonthly
meetings of the State hazardous waste project direc-
tors, a coordinated approach to the problems was
achieved. By the end of 1977, all four States will have
published the inventory results, three should have pro-
gram designs and implementation schedules, and two
will have comprehensive legislation passed and are
working on developing rules and regulations. The Re-
gional Office actively supported the State legislative
efforts to meet the requirements of RCRA and work-
ed with the Missouri League of Women Voters to con-
duct a Hazardous Waste Legislative Seminar in Decem-
ber 1976. hi addition, the Regional Office supported
the development of the St. Louis Industrial Waste
Exchange, the nation's first, and assisted in the presen-
tation of the First National Seminar on Industrial
Waste Exchanges in June 1977.
Technical assistance has been provided to Federal
agencies and State and local governments in develop-
ing paper recycling programs, investigating markets
for recovered materials, and planning recovery facili-
ties. Federal facilities are being assisted in implemen-
tation of the several EPA guidelines in this area.
A few highlights of State activities follow:
In Iowa, implementation of the sanitary landfill
permit program to regulate the processing and disposal
of municipal and commercial solid waste is complete.
Proposed legislation authorizing an industrial waste
survey and hazardous waste controls was introduced
in 1975 and 1976, but was not passed. The Iowa
Department of Environmental Quality obtained new
hazardous waste spill control legislation, which will
strengthen the State program.
At the Ames resource recovery plant, the projected
quantity of solid waste has not materialized and the
operational costs have greatly exceeded the projec-
tions. A recent review of the project by Midwest Re-
search Institute recommended over $1 million of
work over 2 years to improve the efficiency of the
facility.
A joint effort by the Iowa Department of Environ-
mental Quality and the State Office of Planning and
Programming resulted in a program which recycled
100,000 junked cars in the last 4 years.
Kansas also requires permits for solid waste process-
ing and disposal facilities, and 98 percent of the State
population is served by approved sites. The Kansas
Department of Health and Environment obtained
passage in 1977 of legislation authorizing a State
hazardous waste management program comparable
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to the Federal program and strengthening the solid
waste regulatory program. A survey completed in
1976 of approximately 450 industries identified those
with onsite dumping problems, and the Department
moved quickly to require industries to dispose of
their waste at State-approved facilities.
The Department is attempting to stimulate re-
source recovery efforts. The University of Kansas is
currently assessing the possibility of burning solid
waste to produce steam for use by the University. A
survey of resource recovery markets was completed
in 1976 and will be maintained to aid the local com-
munities in recycling efforts.
In Missouri it was estimated that 85 percent of the
population was being served by permitted disposal
sites at the end of fiscal year 1976. The Missouri
Department of Natural Resources, with the aid of an
open committee of nearly 100, secured passage of an
excellent hazardous waste management act and is
now preparing to implement the program. A survey
of 450 industries spurred the development of the St.
Louis Industrial Waste Exchange and the development
of several new private hazardous waste facilities.
A resource recovery market report and a solid
waste collection cost survey was completed, and will
be utilized in technical assistance to local communi-
ties. The Kansas City metropolitan area with EPA
grant support is conducting a comprehensive resource
recovery planning study. The Union Electric Company
is working with the Bi-State Transportation Authority
in attempting to implement a major recovery program
in the St. Louis area; technical assistance from the
EPA panels program was requested. The city of
Columbia passed a bottle bill by referendum and is
implementing it.
In Nebraska, the major problems are lack of effec-
tive legislation and lack of problem recognition in the
State. The existing solid waste permit program has
obtained adequate facilities to serve 55 percent of
the State's population. Strengthened legislation on
solid waste disposal was adopted by the legislature
in 1977 but is limited to major cities. The State has
completed solid and hazardous waste management
and resource recovery strategies to guide future pro-
gram efforts.
The State is working with cities to promote in-
creased resource recovery. The city of Omaha cur-
rently operates a unique system combining a shredder,
a high-density baler, and rail haul to a baleful. It can
be converted to resource recovery when economics
dictate. The city of Chadron also installed a baler
and balefill. Sydney, Alliance, and several other
Nebraska communities have implemented innovative
solid waste collection systems such as rapid pickup
systems.
REGION VIII
(Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)
During fiscal year 1977 the Regional Office
awarded grants totaling $538,000 to the States for
solid waste management programs. For the purpose of
discussing issues relative to the grants, and to discuss
problems and developments of each State, Regional
meetings of the State program directors were held
three times during the year. Also joint meetings were
held with Regions IX and X. Each of the meetings
also included discussion topics dealing directly with
RCRA, i.e., boundary identification guidelines, grant
regulations, landfill classification criteria, and authori-
zation of State hazardous waste programs.
In addition to the State grants, the Regional Office
awarded a $25,000 grant to Albany County, Wyoming,
for development of a countywide solid waste manage-
ment plan incorporating the major population area of
Laramie. The State of Montana recently completed a
statewide solid waste management study which was
partially funded by $40,000 of Regional energy funds
to supplement $200,000 received from the State
legislature. The study emphasized the consolidation
of the many refuse disposal sites within the State
and evaluated the potential for resource recovery.
The final report is now being used by the State to
develop the Montana State Plan.
In addition to briefings with State officials, the Re-
gional staff has met with and discussed technical as
well as political issues relating to RCRA and solid
waste with local organizations, the State associations
of counties, the State associations of cities and towns,
local health departments, regional health directors,
the League of Women Voters, and the Sierra Club,
as well as individual county, city, and town officials.
The Regional Office held general public meetings on
the RCRA in Denver and Salt Lake City with good
participation in each location. Public RCRA meetings
were held in Denver also on various aspects of the
hazardous waste regulatory program.
The Regional Office is responding to technical
assistance requests from all levels of government. Re-
quests from the Federal government concerning land
disposal have come primarily from the Bureau of
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Land Management in relation to their leasing of
Federal property for landfill utilization. The Depart-
ment of Defense and many other agencies were
assisted with implementation of the resource re-
covery guidelines. The Federal facilities also received
technical assistance in the area of hazardous waste
management. The Regional Office is presently imple-
menting a pilot survey of EPA regional laboratories
as a precursor to a survey of hazardous waste genera-
ted by all Federal agencies in the Denver Metropolitan
area. Data from this survey will be utilized by the
General Services Administration to develop a col-
lection and disposal contract for hazardous waste
materials generated by the agencies in the Denver
Metropolitan area.
The Regional Office continues to operate its own
high-grade white paper recycling program which is
now in its second year. So far, 25 tons of high-grade
paper have been collected and sold, all generated by
approximately 250 employees in the main office of
EPA Region VIII.
The Region VIII States are progressing toward the
goal of improving solid waste management. Disposal
site inspections and technical assistance are the two
major areas of State effort. Several of the States are
now operating nonhazardous waste permit programs-
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and
Wyoming. South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming,
and Montana are involved in a training grant through
the Old West Regional Commission which will pro-
vide training for landfill operators and solid waste
administrators for a period of 1 year. Colorado is
presently working on regulations for land application
of municipal sludge. The Montana State legislature
passed three bills giving the State increased authority
to license disposal sites, to control hazardous waste
management, and to implement resource recovery
programs at the local level throughout the State.
The primary obstacle to further improvement of
solid waste management within Region VIII is lack of
manpower and resources, both in the Regional Office
and the States. The major need to achieve better con-
trol of land disposal within the States is increased
enforcement, which is closely related to availability
of resources. RCRA with its prohibition of open
dumping should precipitate an increased level of en-
forcement; however, the procurement of additional
resources, either through the State legislatures or in-
creased Federal funding, will be the necessary ingre-
dient to accomplish the level of control necessary.
REGION IX
(Arizona, California, Hawaii,
Nevada, Guam)
Early in the year Regional Office representatives
visited each State in Region IX to brief key State offi-
cials on the Act, EPA's plans for implementation, and
implications of the Act for State programs. In addi-
tion, a public discussion session was held in March
which was attended by approximately 250 people.
The following activities, all funded in part by EPA,
are being undertaken in the States and territories:
Arizona. The Department of Health Services de-
clared its intention to seek hazardous waste program
authorization under Section 3006 of RCRA and is in
the process of developing its program. Hazardous
waste regulations have been developed and await
legal review and public hearing, pending EPA promul-
gation of RCRA Subtitle C regulations. In addition,
the Department is working to locate and establish one
or more hazardous waste processing/disposal sites.
To assist the State in this effort, the Regional Office
provided both grant and technical assistance and also
solicited technical assistance from the Western Federal
Regional Council Task Force on Hazardous Materials
Management.
California. The California Department of Health
has developed one of the most advanced hazardous
waste management programs in the nation. The pro-
gram is currently being further strengthened by new
legislation and revised regulations to provide enforce-
ment capability equal to that of RCRA plus an incen-
tive program for resource recovery of hazardous
waste. There has been a very valuable exchange of
information and technical assistance between the
Department and EPA in the development of Cali-
fornia's proposed regulations and legislation as well
as RCRA Subtitle C regulations. In February the
Department, together with EPA, the Western Federal
Regional Council Task Force for Hazardous Materials
Management, the Ventura County Sanitation District,
and others sponsored a national conference on hazard-
ous waste management.
The Department of Health and the California
Solid Waste Management Board are meeting on a
regular basis at the request of the Regional Office for
the purposes of coordinating their RCRA-related acti-
vities, such as developing permitting authority, con-
ducting the open dump inventory, and developing
and implementing a State plan addressing all solid
wastes.
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The Board has a strong program that includes the
required preparation of county plans in fiscal 1977.
The Board conducts significant resource recovery
studies and activities, including recycling of office
paper in several State office buildings and university
campuses. It also has new enforcement authority
and has new regulations that provide for the issuance
of permits for new and existing solid waste disposal
facilities consistent with RCRA requirements.
Nevada. The Division of Environmental Protection
is working with several counties in the North Lake
Tahoe area to establish a regional solid waste disposal
facility. This may provide a basis for developing an
interstate region that would include several counties
in California.
The Division recently revised its requirements for
disposal of hazardous wastes at the Beatty Site to
provide improved site monitoring and to place a sur-
charge on the waste disposed of; the funds will be
used for the perpetual maintenance of the site. The
Division also developed draft hazardous waste regula-
tions with Regional Office assistance that await public
hearing and adoption, pending EPA promulgation of
RCRA Subtitle C regulations. In addition, the State
formally requested technical assistance from EPA for
the purpose of locating one or more additional sites
for hazardous waste disposal. The Regional Office
sees this request as a possible task for the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Panels provided for by
RCRA.
Pacific Islands. With EPA demonstration grant
support, the Hawaii Department of Health is admin-
istering a contract for the development of a strategy
for hazardous waste management in Hawaii, the Ter-
ritories of Guam and American Samoa, and the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands. The scope of work in-
cludes: an inventory including hazardous waste gen-
erators and potential disposal sites; the evaluation of
present hazardous waste authorities and regulations,
and what changes are needed to satisfy RCRA's
hazardous waste program requirements; and recom-
mendations on actions to promote resource recovery
of hazardous wastes.
REGION X
(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
Disposal Site Inventories. Region X has developed
a computer-based disposal site information system to
aid the States in maintaining current land disposal
site inventories. The system provides for storage, up-
date, and retrieval of information on both active and
inactive disposal sites and has been beneficial in assist-
ing the States in managing their permit systems.
Region X periodically updates the data base as new
data are submitted by the States.
With_regard to the open dump inventory mandated
by RCRA, the computerized information system al-
ready contains much of the necessary data for muni-
cipal disposal sites and will be expanded to accommo-
date new inventory data developed on other types of
disposal operations.
Hazardous Waste Management. The majority of
Region X States have been active in hazardous waste
management for a number of years. With the aid of
EPA funding, hazardous waste surveys have been com-
pleted in all but one State. Under contract, Region X
has also developed a report entitled "An Evaluation
of the Status of Hazardous Waste Management in
Region X" which further refines and expands upon
the State survey data.
Hazardous waste management legislation has been
enacted in two of the States in Region X, allowing
regulatory control over certain aspects of the hazard-
ous waste disposal cycle. In addition, all four States
have the authority to license hazardous waste disposal
sites. Currently there are two licensed hazardous
waste disposal sites in Region X with a third expected
to open within the next year. Waste generated from
all parts of the United States are shipped to these sites
including some "politically sensitive" waste material.
The handling of such controversial waste creates real
problems regardless of the technical adequacy of a
particular disposal facility. Within the past year a
number of such incidents received a considerable
amount of press coverage in the Northwest.
Several firms in Region X are active in the process-
ing of hazardous waste for reuse. In addition, a pri-
vately sponsored hazardous waste exchange was
established through the efforts of the Washington
State Department of Ecology. The waste exchange
mechanism is based on the concept that "one man's
waste may be another man's feedstock."
Resource Recovery. A number of assistance mech-
anisms aided resource recovery and recycling projects
in Region X. Local governments received direct tech-
nical support through both State and EPA technical
assistance programs. In addition, several financial
assistance programs were utilized. Two States passed
major bond issues which provide grant and loan sup-
port to local governments in implementation of their
solid waste management plans. Two counties were
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successful in national competition under EPA's limi-
ted resource recovery implementation grant program.
Assistance was also provided through workshops and
conferences sponsored by EPA and the States.
Region X is actively working with Federal agencies
in implementation of the various mandatory re-
source recovery guidelines. In February 1977 Region
X sponsored the first Solid Waste Management Guide-
lines for Federal Facilities Workshop where all the
requirements were explained to representatives of
Federal agencies in the Region. The mandatory bev-
erage container deposit guidelines were successfully
implemented at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station
under a Department of Defense test program. The
high-grade office paper recycling program was imple-
mented in eight Federal office buildings throughout
the Region. Region X is also working with representa-
tives of the larger military installations to aid in
establishing joint cooperative resource recovery proj-
ects with local governments.
Public Participation. Shortly after the passage of
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act a series
of meetings were held to seek public input on imple-
mentation of the Act. In addition to the large public
meeting held in Seattle in March 1977, more informal
meetings were held in each State with local and State
officials. As regulation development progressed under
the various RCRA mandates, meetings were held with
industry, public interest groups, and State and local
governments to seek specific guidance on more de-
tailed issues. These meetings will continue as the
regulation and guidelines process unfolds.
An extensive mailing list of interested parties was
developed and all significant information is routinely
mailed as it is published. In addition, a great many
specific requests regarding the various RCRA pro-
grams are handled daily.
71
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Appendix
EPA Publications on RCRA and
Solid Waste Management
Fiscal Year 1977
This list is divided into two main parts: Office of Solid Waste publications, and Office of Research
and Development publications. Publications with order numbers prefixed by PB are available
for purchase from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.
All other publications are available from Solid Waste Information, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268. A list of information materials produced since 1966 is available
from the Cincinnati address.
OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE
Order Resource Conservation
Nos. and Recovery Act
171 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976,
Public Law 94-580, 94th Congress, S.2150-Oct. 21,
1976 (to provide technical and financial assistance
for the development of management plans and facili-
ties for the recovery of energy and other resources
from discarded materials and for the safe disposal of
discarded materials, and to regulate the management
of hazardous waste). [Washington, U.S. Government
Printing Office], 1976. 47 p.
563 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of
1976; a brief look at Public Law 94-580. [Environ-
mental Protection Publication] SW-563. [Washington],
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, [1977]. 3 p.
564 Public Law 94-580: The Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 1976; summary of provisions.
[Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1976.] 8 p.
565 Solid waste control program expanded. EPA Journal,
2(10):4-5, Nov.-Dec. 1976.
566 Meyers, S. The Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1976-everybody's business. Presented at 5th
National Congress on Waste Management Technology
and Resource and Energy Recovery, Dallas, Dec. 8,
1976. [Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1976.] 13 p.
576 Office of Solid Waste. The Resource Conservation ana
Recovery Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-580); issues for
discussion. [Environmental Protection Publication
SW-576.] [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, Feb. 1977. 10 p.
578 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; 1st Public
Meeting on the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1976, Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 1976.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-lOp. [Wash-
ington] ,U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
175 p.
72
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579 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Resource Con-
servation and Recovery Act of 197 6; intent to develop
rulemaking. Federal Register, 42(33):9803, Feb. 17,
1977.
580 Office of Solid Waste. The Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-580); pro-
visions for discussion. [Environmental Protection Pub-
lication SW-580.] [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Feb. 1977. [17 p.]
585 Williams, T. F. Citizen participation and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act. Presented at Citizen
Involvement in Solid Waste Issues: Focus on Resource
Conservation Meeting, National Coalition on Solid
Waste, Washington, Mai. 5, 1977. [Washington, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.] lip.
586 Solid waste management. Environmental Comment,
Feb. 1977. [Entire issue.]
588 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 15-16,
1977. Environmental Protection Publication SW-llp.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
282 p.
589 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Richmond, Feb. 17-18, 1977.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-12p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
122 p.
590 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Pittsburgh, Feb. 28 and Mar. 1,
1977. Environmental Protection Publication SW-13p.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
251 p.
591 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcripts; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976 and an Appendix: Conference on
the Management of Non-Nuclear Hazardous Wastes,
New York City, Feb. 23, 1977. Environmental Pro-
tection Publication SW-14p. [Washington], U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency, 1977. [404 p.]
592 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Atlanta, Feb. 23-24, 1977.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-15p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
107 p., app.
593 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Worcester, Mass., and Concord,
N.H., Feb. 25-26, 1977. Environmental Protection
Publication SW-16p. [Washington], U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency. [90 p.]
594 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Denver and Salt Lake City,
Mar. 3-4, 1977. Environmental Protection Publication
SW-17p. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency. 132 p., app.
595 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Dallas, Mar. 8-9, 1977. Environ-
mental Protection Publication SW-18p. [Washington],
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 138 p.
596 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, San Francisco, Mar. 10-11,1977.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-19p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
258 p., app.
597 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Seattle, Mar. 17-18, 1977.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-20p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 201 p.
598 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Regional
Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Chicago, Mar. 21-22, 1977.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-21p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 156 p.
603 Costle, D. M. Statement of Honorable Douglas M.
Costle, Administrator, Environmental Protection
Agency, before the Subcommittee on Transportation
and Commerce, Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce, House of Representatives, April 26,1977.
[Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency],
1977.14 p.
607 Hickman, H. L., Jr. The RCRA and State government.
Waste Age, 8(1):18-19, Jan. 1977.
621 Williams, T. F. Keeping Public Law 94-580 public.
Presented at the Seminar on Occupational Safety and
Health Implications of Solid Waste, Oil, Chemical and
Atomic Workers International Union, Oakland, June 4,
1977. [Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.] 17 p.
625 Hickman, H. L., Jr. President Ford signs new solid
wastes bill. Solid Wastes Management, 19(11):52, 72,
74, Nov. 1976.
626 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Public Meet-
ing on the Draft Solid Waste Grant Regulations for
Implementation of the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act of 1976, Washington, June 30, 1977.
73
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Environmental Protection Publication SW-23p. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 66 p.
627 Office of Solid Waste, comp. Transcript; Public Meet-
ing on the Public Participation Guidelines, Section
7004(b) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1976, Washington, July 1,1977. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-24p. [Washington], U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. 66 p.
628 [Meyers, S.] Words into deeds; implementing the Re-
source Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.
Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Aug. 1977. 7 p.
State, Regional, and Local
Solid Waste Management
393 State solid waste management agencies. [Washington],
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, July 1977.
7 p. [List, updated periodically.]
548 Mitre Corporation. WRAPping up the solid waste
management problem; a model for regional solid waste
management planning. Environmental Protection Pub-
lication SW-137c. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977.12 p.
573 Hensey, V. [Mitre Corporation]. WRAP; a model for
regional solid waste management planning; program-
mer's manual. Environmental Protection Publication
SW-573. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, 1977. 325 p.
574 Berman, E. B. [Mitre Corporation]. WRAP; a model
for regional solid waste management planning; user's
guide. Environmental Protection Publication SW-574.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1977.124 p.
615 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Identification
of regions and agencies for solid waste management;
interim guidelines. Federal Register, 42(94): 24926-
24930, May 16,1977.
629 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Solid waste
planning and disposal; advance notice of proposed
rulemaking. Federal Register, 42(128):34446-34448,
July 5,1977.
636 Connolly, J. A. Solid waste management; worldwide
solid waste literature collection/retrieval services avail-
able from EPA. Environmental Protection Publication
SW-636. Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1977. 8 p. (Supersedes No. 294.)
PB-265 391 A. W. Martin Associates, Inc. Equipment sharing
and cost estimating for rural solid waste disposal
systems. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
584. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
78p.
PB-266 562 Barton Brown Clyde & Loguidice, Engineers
[Cattaraugus County Refuse Department]. Cattarau-
gus County, New York, solid waste disposal system.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-143c. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.108 p.
PB-268 327 Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection. Abandoned automobile re-
moval. Environmental Protection Publication SW-90d.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977. 32 p.
Land Disposal
547 SCS Engineers. Environmental assessment of subsur-
face disposal of municipal wastewater treatment sludge;
interim report. Environmental Protection Publication
SW-547. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1977. 117 p.
583 Blanchet, M. J. [Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San
Francisco.] Treatment and utilization of landfill gas;
Mountain View project feasibility study. [Washing-
ton] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
115 p.
587 Carlson, J. A. [City of Mountain View, Calif.].
Recovery of landfill gas at Mountain View; engineering
site study. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
587d. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1977. 63 p.
611 Wehran Engineering Corporation and Geraghty and
Miller, Inc. Procedures manual for monitoring solid
waste disposal sites. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-611. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977. 287 p.
614 Anderson, R. K. Compositing sewage sludge by high-
rate suction aeration techniques; an interim report.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-614d.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1977.56 p.
617 Dunne, N. G. Successful sanitary landfill siting:
County of San Bernardino, California. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-617. [Washington], U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1977. 31 p.
619 Anderson, R. K., et al. Cost of landspreading and haul-
ing sludge from municipal wastewater treatment
plants; case studies. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-619. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977.156 p.
624 James, S. C. Metals in municipal landfill leachate and
their health effects.American Journal of Public Health,
67(5):429432, May 1977.
PB-265 444 Booz, Allen and Hamilton, Inc. Cost estimating
handbook for transfer, shredding and sanitary land-
filling of solid waste. Environmental Protection Publi-
74
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cation SW-124C. U.S. Environmental
Agency, Aug. 1976. 82 p.
Protection
PB-269 502 Steiner, R. L., J. E. Keenan, and A. A. Fungaroli
[Applied Technology Associates]. Demonstration of a
leachate treatment plant. Environmental Protection
Publication SW-91d. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1977. 74 p.
Hazardous Wastes
429 Straus, M. Hazardous waste management facilities
in the United States. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-146.3. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Feb. 1977. 60 p.
527 Munnecke, D., H. R. Day, and H. W. Trask. Review
of pesticide disposal research. Environmental Protec-
tion Publication SW-527. [Washington], U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, 1976. 76 p.
534 Staton, W. S., and J. G. Lamperton [Oregon State
University, Environmental Sciences Center]. Pesticide
container processing in commercial reconditioning
facilities. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
88d. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Nov. 1976. 21 p.
540 Kovalick, W. W., Jr. Hazardous waste guidelines: plans
and prospects. Presented at Hazardous Waste Research
Symposium, Residual Management Land Disposal,
Tucson, Feb. 2, 1976. [Washington], U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, 1976. 7 p.
541 Lehman, J. P. The national hazardous waste manage-
ment program. Presented at 79th National Meeting,
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Houston,
Mar. 17, 1975. Washington, U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, 1976. 18 p.
542 Lehman, J. P. Federal direction for hazardous waste
management. Presented at National Solid Waste
Management Association International Waste Equip-
ment and Technology Exposition, June 26, 1974.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1976. 16 p.
543 Lehman, J. P. Growth potential in the hazardous
waste management service industry. Presented at
National Solid Waste Management Association Inter-
national Waste Equipment and Technology Exposition,
Chicago, June 2, 1976. [Washington], U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, 1976. 26 p.
545 Lehman, J. P. Federal surveys of industrial waste.
Presented at Solid Wastes Management Association
International Waste Equipment and Technology Expo-
sition, Los Angeles, June 30, 1975. [Washington],
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1976. 31 p.
561 Grumpier, E. P., Jr. Management of metal-finishing
sludge. Environmental Protection Publication SW-561.
[Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1977.62 p.
562 Ghassemi, M., et al. Disposing of small batches of
hazardous wastes. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-562. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, [1977]. 3 p.
569 Ghassemi, M., S. C. Quinlivan, and H. R. Day. Landfills
for pesticide waste disposal. Environmental Science &
Technology, 10(13):1209-1214,Dec. 1976.
577 McEwen, L. B., Jr. Re-refining of waste lubrication
oil: Federal perspective. Resource Recovery & Energy
Review, 3(6):14-17, Nov./Dec. 1976.
584 Lehman, J. P. Overview and objectives of hazardous
waste management. Presented at National Conference
on Hazardous Waste Management, San Francisco,
Feb. 1, 1977. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency. 17 p.
608 Terry, R. C., Jr., et al. Waste clearinghouses and
exchanges. Chemical Engineering Progress, 72(12):
58-62, Dec. 1976.
610 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous
waste guidelines and regulations; advance notice of
proposed rulemaking. Federal Register, 42(84):22332-
22334, May 2,1977.
612 Office of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste Management
Division. State decision makers guide for hazardous
waste management. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-612. Washington, U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1977.103 p.
630 Safe storage and disposal of pesticides. Washington,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, May 1977.
9 P-
631 Collins, D. Industrial waste-problem or profit? EPA
Journal, 3(3):15, Mar. 1977.
PB-258 068 Vitberg, A. K., M. L. Rucker, and C. H. Porter.
Implementing 'Best Management Practices' for resi-
duals: the waste exchange. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, June 1976. 31 p.
PB-258 953 Abrams, E. F., D. K. Guinan, and D. Derkics
[Versar, Incorporated]. Assessment of industrial
hazardous waste practices, textiles industry. Environ-
mental Protection Publication SW-125c. Environmental
Protection Agency, June 1976. 276 p.
PB-259 097 Rosenberg, D. G., et al. [Jacobs Engineering
Company]. Assessment of hazardous waste practices
in the petroleum refining industry. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-129c. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, June 1976. 367 p.
75
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PB-261 018 Conrad, E. X, G. L. Mitchell, and D. H. Bauer
[SCS Engineers, Inc.] Assessment of industrial hazard-
ous waste practices; leather tanning and finishing
industry. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
131c. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nov.
1976. 247 p.
PB-261 052 Bendersky, D., et al. [Midwest Research Insti-
tute] . A study of waste generation, treatment and
disposal in the metals mining industry. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-132c. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Oct. 1976. 385 p.
PB-261 287 Terry, R. C., et al. [Arthur D. Little, Inc.].
Waste clearinghouses and exchanges: new ways for
identifying and transferring reusable industrial process
wastes. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
130c. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oct.
1976. 152 p.
PB-263 210 Williams, R., et al. [Arthur D. Little, Inc.].
Economic assessment of potential hazardous waste
control guidelines for the inorganic chemicals industry.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-134c. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1976. 320 p.
PB-264 349 Hallowell, J. B., et al. [Battelle Columbus
Laboratories]. Assessment of industrial hazardous
waste practices. Electroplating and metal finishing
industries-job shops. Environmental Protection Publi-
cation SW-136c. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1977. 516 p.
PB-265 532 Peters, G. O., J. Levin, and P. Thomas
[WAPORA, Inc.]. Assessment of industrial hazardous
waste practices-electronic components manufacturing
industry. Environmental Protection Publication SW-
140c. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Jan.
1977.207 p.
PB-265 540 Ackerman, D. G., et al. [TRW Defense and
Space Systems Group]. Destroying chemical wastes
in commercial scale incinerators; Facility Report
No. 3-systems technology. Environmental Protec-
tion Publication SW-122c.3. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, April 1977. 98 p.
PB-265 541 Clausen, J. F., R. J. Johnson, and C. A. Zee
[TRW Defense and Space Systems Group]. Destroy-
ing chemical wastes in commercial scale incinerators.
Facility Report No. 1—The Marquardt Company.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-122c.l. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Apr. 1977.125 p.
PB-265 981 Levin, J., et al. [WAPORA, Inc.]. Assessment
of industrial hazardous waste practices. Special machi-
nery manufacturing industries. Environmental Pro-
tection Publication SW-141c. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977. 328 p.
PB-267 987 Adams, J. W., et al. [Arthur D. Little, Inc.].
Destroying chemical wastes in commercial scale incin-
erators. Facility Report No. 4, Zimpro, Inc. Environ-
mental Protection Publication SW-122c.4. U.S. Envir-
onmental Protection Agency, Dec. 1976. 94 p.
PB-268 232 Adams, J. W., et al. [Arthur D. Little, Inc.]
Destroying chemical wastes in commercial scale incin-
erators. Facility Report No. 2, Surface Combustion
Division, Midland-Ross Corporation. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-122c.2. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977.162 p.
PB-270 897 [TRW Defense and Space Systems Group.]
Destroying chemical wastes in commercial scale incin-
erators; facility report 6. Environmental Protection
Publication SW-122c.5. U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, 1977.162 p.
PB-272 267 Swain, J. W. Assessment of industrial hazardous
waste management petroleum re-refining industry.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-144c. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1977. 149 p.
Resource Recovery and
Waste Reduction
432 McEwen, L. B., Jr. Waste reduction and resource re-
covery activities, a nationwide survey. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-142. Washington, U.S. Gov-
nment Printing Office, 1977. 78 p.
521 You make a difference; you contribute to a better
environment when you return your soft drink and beer
containers. [Washington, U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, 1977.] 1 p. [Poster.]
531 Peterson, C. Price comparison survey of beer and soft
drinks in refillable and nonrefillable containers. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1976.
9p.,app.
536 Office of Solid Waste, Resource Recovery Division.
Resource recovery and waste reduction; current re-
ports. Environmental Protection Publication SW-536.1.
[Washington], U.S. Envkonmental Protection Agency,
1977.15 p. [Listing.]
551 Resource Planning Associates, Inc. Source separation;
the community awareness program in Somerville and
Marblehead, Massachusetts. Environmental Protection
Publication SW-551. [Washington], U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency, Nov. 1976. 81 p.
552 Hawkins, D. F. Resource recovery projects; requests
for proposals/contracts—summaries. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-552. [Washington], U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Oct. 1976. 54 p.
76
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553 National Center for Resource Recovery. Residential
paper recovery; a community action program [En-
vironmental Protection Publication SW-553.) Wash-
ington, U.S. Government Printing Office, [1976].
20 p.
567 National League of Cities, United States Conference
of Mayors. Resource recovery planning ... an overview
of the implementation process. Reprinted, [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
[1977]. 21 p.
570 Levy, S. J., and S. A. Lingle. Resource recovery tech-
nology update from the U.S.E.P.A.; a review of energy
recovery technologies. Waste Age, 7(11): 26-27, 30-31,
Nov. 1976.
571 Stearns, R. P., S. E. Howard, and R. V. Anthony
[SCS Engineers.] Office paper recovery; an implemen-
tation manual. Environmental Protection Publication
SW-571c. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, 1977. 53 p.
572 Untrashing Yosemite Park. EPA Journal, 2(9):12-13,
Oct. 1976.
575 Hansen, P. M. Resource recovery technology update
from the U.S.E.P.A.; resource recovery through multi-
material source separation. Waste Age, 7(10):30-31,
34,44, Oct. 1976.
582 Garbe, Y. M. Resource recovery technology update
from the U.S.E.P.A.; demonstration of pyrolysis and
materials recovery in San Diego, California. Waste Age,
7(12):82-85, Dec. 1976.
599 Waste Management Technology and Resource and
Energy Recovery: Proceedings; 5th National Congress,
Dallas, Dec. 7-9,1976. Environmental Protection Pub-
lication SW-22p. Washington, U.S. Government Print-
ing Office, 1977. 427 p. (Co-sponsored by National
Solid Waste Management Association and U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency.)
600 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid
Waste. Resource recovery and waste reduction; fourth
report to Congress. Environmental Protection Publica-
tion SW-600. Washington, U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1977. 142 p.
601 Recycling. Reprinted from Government and the
Nation's Resources: Report of the National Commis-
sion on Supplies and Shortages, December 1976.
Envkon mental Protection Publication SW-601. [Wash-
ington] , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
p. 155-172.
602 Meyers, S., and D. B. Sussman. The utilization of
solid wastes for the generation of electric power. In
IEEE Power Engineering Society Papers; energy devel-
opment III. New York, Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc., 1977. p. 30-33.
604 Lowe, R. A., and E. Sano. Careful management: key
to resource recovery. State & County Administrator,
1(5):29-30, Sept.-Oct. 1976.
606 Hopper, R. How communities can overcome obstacles
to resource recovery projects. Solid Wastes Manage-
ment, 20(1):30,54-55, 92, Jan. 1977.
613 Costle, D. M. Remarks by the Honorable Douglas M.
Costle, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Presented at the Resource Recovery Tech-
nology Seminar, April 28, 1977. [Washington, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.] 13 p.
616 Use it again, Sarn. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977.4 p. [Brochure.]
618 Implementation plan for the Resource Conservation
Committee; 1st report to the President and Congress
of the United States mandated by the Resource Con-
servation and Recovery Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-
580). Washington, Resource Conservation Committee,
Apr. 1977. 89 p.
620 McEwen, L., and S. Levy. Resource recovery imple-
mentations; a status report. Resource Recovery &
Energy Review, 4(l):21-25, Jan.-Feb. 1977.
622 Waste paper; a new look at recycling. Report on a
Conference sponsored by the Citizens* Advisory Com-
mittee on Environmental Quality, [Washington],
May 11, 1976. Washington, U.S. Government Printing
Office, May 1977. 88 p.
623 Humber, N., and S. Lingle. Resource recovery tech-
nology update from the U.S.E.P.A.; the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976; how will it
impact on resource recovery and conservation? Waste
Age, 6(4):26-27, 30-31, April 1977.
632 Skinner, J. H. The impact of source separation and
waste reduction on the economics of resource recovery
facilities. Resource Recovery & Energy Review, 4(2):
22-26, March/April 1977.
642 Sullivan, M. The little town that could. Conservation
News, 4(2):4-7, Jan. 15,1977.
PB-263 396 Weinstein, N. J. [RECON Systems, Inc.].
Municipal-scale thermal processing of solid wastes.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-133c. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1977. 365 p.
PB-264 214 SCS Engineers. Optimization of office paper
recovery systems. Environmental Protection Publica-
tion SW-135c. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1977. 82 p.
PB-265 392 JACA Corporation. Energy potential from con-
struction and demolition wood wastes. Environmental
Protection Publication SW-138c. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Apr. 1977. 65 p.
77
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PB-270 266 Bingham, T. H., J. A. Olson, J. M. Dabei [Re-
search Triangle Institute]. Yosemite National Park
beverage container deposit experiment; final report.
Environmental Protection Publication SW-142c. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1977. 43 p.
PB-272 051 Systems Technology Corporation. A technical,
environmental, and economic evaluation of the glass
recovery plant at Franklin, Ohio. Environmental Pro-
tection Publication SW-146c. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, 1977. 104 p.
General
203 Available information materials supplement; solid
waste management. [Washington], U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, June 1977. 14 p.
544 Current views on solid waste management; recom-
mended reading. Environmental Protection Publica-
tion SW-544. Washington, U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, [1976]. 10 p.
549 Meyers, S. Goals of the Federal solid waste manage-
ment program. Presented at International Public Works
Congress and Equipment Show, Las Vegas, Sept. 27,
1976. [Washington], U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1976. 10 p.
609 Blum, B. Remarks by Barbara Blum, Deputy Adminis-
trator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at the
65th Annual Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of
the United States, Washington, May 3, 1977. [Wash-
ington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency], 1977.
3 p.
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Municipal Environmental
Research Laboratory
PB-257 499 Noble, S. B., C. C. Humpstone, and E. H. Ayres
[International Research and Technology Corpora-
tion] . Forecasting the composition and weight of
household solid wastes using input-output techniques.
v. 1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1976.
200 p.
PB-257 500 Noble, S. B., C. C. Humpstone, and E. H. Ayres
[International Research and Technology Corpora-
tion]. Forecasting the composition and weight of
household solid wastes using input-output techniques.
v. 2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1976.
185 p.
PB-260 495 Overman, J. P. [Hittman Associates, Inc.].
Evaluation of the refuse management systems of the
operation breakthrough sites. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, 1977.
PB-262 804 LaPierre, R. B., et al. [Department of Chemical
Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute]. Cata-
lytic conversion of hazardous and toxic chemicals:
catalytic hydrodechlorination of poly chlorinated pesti-
cides and related substances; final report. U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency, Jan. 1977. 184 p.
PB-264 032 Ledbetter, R. H. [Army Engineer Waterways
Experiment Station]. Design considerations for pulp
and papermill sludge landfills. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Dec. 1976.154 p.
PB-264 886 Anderson, R. C., and R. D. Spiegelman [Environ-
mental Law Institute]. Impact of the Federal tax
code on resource recovery. U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, Dec. 1976. 358 p.
PB-266 355 Niessen W., et al. [Roy F. Weston, Inc.]. A re-
view of techniques for incineration of sewage sludge
with solid wastes. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Dec. 1976. 238 p.
PB-266 649 Giordano, P. M., and D. A. Mays [National
Fertilizer Development Center, Tennessee Valley Au-
thority]. Effect of land disposal applications of
municipal wastes on crop yields and heavy metal up-
take. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Apr.
1977. 83 p.
PB-266 684 Kidder, D. [Ebon Research Systems]. Fore-
casting the composition and weight of household solid
wastes using input-output techniques; an executive
summary. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Jan. 1977. 22 p.
PB-266 905 Fuller, W. H. [Department of Soils, Water and
Engineering, University of Arizona]. Movement of
selected metals, asbestos, and cyanide in soil: applica-
tions to waste disposal problems. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Apr. 1977. 257 p.
PB-268 526 Bailin, L. J., and B. L. Hertzler [Lockheed Palo
Alto Research Laboratory, Lockheed Missiles and
Space Company, Inc.]. Development of microwave
plasma detoxification process for hazardous wastes;
phase 1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Apr.
1977. 79 p.
PB-269 000-Set Reeder, L. R., et al. [Louis R. Reeder and
Associates]. Review and assessment of deep-well
injection of hazardous waste. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, June 1977. 4 v.
78
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PB-269 001 Reeder, L. R., et al. [Louis R. Reeder and
Associates]. Review and assessment of deep-well in-
jection of hazardous waste, v. 1. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, June 1977. 215 p.
PB-269 002 Reeder, L. R., et al. [Louis R. Reeder and
Associates]. Review and assessment of deep-well in-
jection of hazardous waste, v. 2. Appendices A, B,
and C. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, June
1977. 316 p.
PB-269 003 Reeder, L. R., et al. [Louis R. Reeder and
Associates]. Review and assessment of deep-well in-
jection of hazardous waste, v. 3. Appendix D. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, June 1977. 561 p.
PB-269 004 Reeder, L. R., et al. [Louis R. Reeder and
Associates]. Review and assessment of deep-well in-
jection of hazardous waste, v. 4. Appendices E, F, G,
H, I, and J. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
June 1977. 413 p.
PB-269 352 Baxter, J. C., et al. [Metropolitan Denver Sewage
Disposal District No. 1]. Comprehensive summary of
sludge disposal recycling history. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Apr. 1977. 95 p.
PB-270 085 Ware, S. A. [Ebon Research Systems). Single
cell protein and other food recovery technologies
from waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
May 1977. 143 p.
PB-270 219 Conn, W. D. [University of California, Los
Angeles]. European developments in the recovery of
energy and materials from municipal solid waste. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, May 1977. 53 p.
PB-271 007 Jackson, G., and S. Ware [Ebon Research
Systems]. The feasibility of utilizing solid wastes for
building materials; executive summary. U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, June 1977. 96 p.
PB-271 013 Haxo, H. E., Jr., R. S. Haxo, and R. M. White
[Matrecon, Inc.]. Liner materials exposed to hazard-
ous and toxic sludges; fkst interim report. U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency, June 1977. 73 p.
PB-272 096 Trezek, G. J. [Regents of the University of Cali-
fornia, University of California, Berkeley]. Signifi-
cance of size reduction in solid waste management.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, July 1977.
164 p.
PB-272 266 Bartos, M. J., Jr., and M. R. Palermo [En-
vironmental Effects Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer
Waterways Experiment Station]. Physical and engi-
neering properties of hazardous industrial wastes and
sludges. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
PB-272 309 Lubowitz, H. R., et al. [TWR Systems Group].
Development of a polymeric cementing and encap-
sulating process for managing hazardous wastes. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Aug. 1977. 167 p.
PB-272 432 Feber, R. C., and M. J. Antal [Los Alamo Scien-
tific Laboratory]. Synthetic fuel production from
solid wastes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1977.
PB-272 595 Banerji, S. K., ed. [Department of Civil Engi-
neering, University of Missouri]. Management of gas
and leachate in landfills. U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, Sept. 1977. 297 p.
PB-272 603 Ebon Research Systems. Catalytic hydrodech-
lorination of polychlorinated pesticides and related
substances;an executive summary. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Sept. 1977. 59 p.
PB-272 656 Kolega, J. J., et al. [Storrs Agricultural Experi-
ment Station, University of Connecticut]. Treatment
and disposal of wastes pumped from septic tanks. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Sept. 1977. 168 p.
PB-272 757 Fiscus, D. E., et al. [Midwest Research Institute].
St. Louis demonstration final report: refuse processing
plant equipment, facilities, and environmental evalua-
tions. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sept.
1977. 347 p.
PB-272 761 Oakseson, W. G., et al. [Department of Material
Science and Engineering, University of Utah]. Foam
glass insulation from waste glass. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1977.
PB-272 783 Brown, B. J., M. K. Christensen, and B. E.
Hackley, Jr. [Chemical Laboratory, Edge wood Arsenal,
Aberdeen Proving Grounds]. Assessment of techniques
for detoxification of selected hazardous materials.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1977.
PB-272 885 Chian, E. S. K., and F. B. DeWalle [Department
of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaignj. Evaluation of leachate treatment, v. 1.
Characterization of leachate. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, Sept. 1977. 226 p.
PB-272 241 Bowerman, F. R., et al. [COM, Inc., Environ-
mental Engineers]. A case study of the Los Angeles
County Sanitation District's Palos Verdes landfill gas
development project. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, July 1977.112 p.
PB-272 892 Bishop, D. F., etal. [Government of the District
of Columbia, Department of Environmental Services].
Alum addition and step-feed studies in oxygen-
activated sludge. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Sept. 1977.40 p.
79
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PB-273 522 Shell, R. L., D. S. Slupe [Department of Mech-
anical and Industrial Engineering, University of Cin-
cinnati]. Wage incentives for solid waste collection
personnel. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Apr. 1977. 211 p.
Industrial Environmental
Research Laboratory
PB-270 961 Boucher, F. B., et al. [Occidental Research Cor-
poration] . Pyrolysis of industrial wastes for oil and
activated carbon recovery. U.S. Environmental Protec-
tection Agency, May 1977. 181 p.
PB-272 763 Michalovic, C. K., et al. [Calspan Corporation].
Multipurpose gelling agent and its application to
spilled hazardous materials. U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, 1977.
PB-272 953 Stearns, R. P., D. E. Ross, R. Morrison [SCS
Engineers]. Oil spill: decisions for debris disposal v. 2.
Literature review and case study reports. U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, Aug. 1977.165 p.
PB-271 128 Combustion Power Company, Inc. Final report
for low pressure tests of the CPU-400 pilot plant. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Sept. 1977. 406 p.
Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory
PB-271 714 Busby, M. R., et al. [Tennessee State University].
A complete disposal-recycle scheme for agricultural
solid wastes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
May 1977. 60 p.
Office of Health and
Ecological Effects
PB-272 832 Stearns, R. P., D. E. Ross, and R. Morrison [SCS
Engineers]. Oil spill: decisions for debris disposal, v. 1.
Procedures manual. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Aug. 1977. 115 p.
PB-257 951 Moll, K., et al. [Stanford Research Institute].
Hazardous wastes: a risk-benefit framework applied
to cadmium and asbestos. U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, Feb. 1977. 268 p.
ya 1465
SW-663
80
*U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ; 1978 0-734-285/243
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