EPA SW-549
GOALS OF THE FEDERAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Presented at the
International Public Works Congress and Equipment Show
Las Vegas, Nev., September 27, 1976
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
1976
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GOALS OF THE FEDERAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Sheldon Meyers*
It is a pleasure to be here in Las Vegas at the International Public
Works Congress, and to have this opportunity to address the Institute
for Solid Wastes, of the International Public Works Association.
Under the circumstances, it is not, however, an enviable task U;
be responsive to your suggestion that I speak on goals of the Federal
solid waste management program. As I am sure most of you know, it
is still not certain whether new solid waste management legislation will be
enacted before Congress adjourns just a few days from now.
Some months ago, the Senate passed the Solid Waste Utilization Aci oi
1976, and more recently the House Commerce Committee adopted provision .
the House Science Committee's research and development bill, and reportr-;
out a consolidated bill entitled "The Resource Conservation and Recovery A> i
of 1976." If the House passes this bill, resolution of differences between ','•
and the Senate-passed bill—either in conference or by mutual agreement
will be required before the bill can be sent to the President. Since the final
outcome will be determined by events transpiring in the Congress, which
were by no means clear to me before I left Washington, D.C. , and indeed
may change drastically even as I am standing here, 2,000 miles away, I
cannot address you with the degree of certainty and assurance that I would
have liked .
On the other hand, since what the Congress has done—whether thi-
action is consummated this year or not—is a reflection of society's perception
of solid waste management and of currently acceptable options for dealing
with it, I do feel assured that what we are doing and what we plan to do with
our current authorities and resources is pertinent and germane. This after-
noon, I will briefly comment on some of the major provisions on which the
Senate and the concerned two House committees seem to be in agreement,
and then highlight some of the EPA activities currently under way and planned
for Fiscal Year 1977.
* Deputy Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste Management Programs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Presented at the 1976 Internationa]
Public Works Congress and Equipment Show, September 27, 1976, Las Vegas,
Nevada.
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All of us concerned with environmental issues should be pleased to note
that the bill passed by the Senate and the bill currently under consideration in
the House, which I will refer to hereafter as "the new legislation," reflect
society's acceptance of the fact that resource-use and environmental and
public health issues associated with solid waste management are indeed inter-
related. On the surface, this may appear to be a small matter and something
we have always known. If so, the surface impression is deceptive. It wasn't
very long ago that Federal legislation was advocated which would have denied
any Federal role in resource recovery or for that matter, in any aspect of
municipal solid waste management. It was not very long ago either when
the advocates of disposal and the advocates of resource recovery would line
up like two opposing camps in a religious war. They still enjoy a skirmish
now and then, but the war is over. The new legislation should provide
the final coup de grace to such schizophrenia in the solid waste management
field.
The new legislation would phase out open dumping of solid wastes,
upgrade land disposal, provide Federal financial and technical assistance
to State and area-wide agencies for planning and implementing waste manage-
ment programs which are environmentally sound and make optimal use of
opportunities for resource recovery. Those who treat, transport, store, or
dispose of hazardous wastes would need to obtain permits for their activities.
Limited Federal support for resource recovery demonstrations would be pro-
vided through the mechanism of loan guarantees . Expanded Federal technical
assistance and information efforts would be authorized to assist States, local
governments and industry in every aspect of solid waste management.
It is not surprising that the new legislation places special regulatory
emphasis on hazardous wastes. No matter how much the barometer fluctuates
concerning the pros and cons of environmental regulation, we have too many
continuing reminders of the high price we must pay today and tomorrow for
yesterday's thoughtlessness to condone the status quo in hazardous waste
management. Kepone is one of the most recent and notorious reminders.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) are also among the relatively recent
examples which periodically remind us of our past failings.
The results of EPA's initial studies of hazardous waste were somewhat
surprising even to us . There was more of it than we had expected to find, it
threatened the environment in more ways than we had thought, and it was
being mismanaged to an extent that seemed likely to negate some of the
progress made under air, water, and ocean pollution control legislation. Our
later studies have served to strengthen what we first learned and reported to
the Congress and the public in 1973.
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At that time we reported that there were about 10 million tons of hazard-
ous waste being generated annually; we now realize that figure is low by a
factor of at least four. Furthermore, this amount is expected to increase
by 30 percent in the next decade, in part because of increasing controls
on emissions into the air, waterways, and oceans. We four.d in 1973 that
technology was available to treat or dispose of many of these wastes without
undue risk to the environment; three years of study have demonstrated to
us that nearly all wastes can be detoxified, neutralized, or destroyed with
current technology.
More importantly, it has become clear that land disposal is only or; of
many alternatives for managing hazardous wastes. While extremely importar'
it is the last, not the first option which should be given attention.
The solutions to the hazardous waste problems are available but they
have not been widely applied because, historically, we have had neither
the economic nor the regulatory climate which would encourage their use,
The economic climate is changing , and as the costs of certain materials
increase, there is more of a willingness to exploit marginal resources.
OSWMP has long believed that wastes should be viewed as resources, that
many wastes contain recoverable energy or materials, and that these resources
would be recovered whenever somebody could make a legitimate profit doing
so. We used to receive calls regularly asking us how to safely dispose of
spent solvents; the energy crisis forced people to look at these wastes as
something of value, and the idea of destroying or landfilling such a valuable
"commodity" is almost extinct.
As for the regulatory climate, the new legislation would change that
in a way that would greatly encourage waste exchange, recycling and other
conservation approaches, as environmentally sound disposal practices become
mandatory.
The new legislation leaves no doubt that not only hazardous industrial
wastes, but municipal wastes and sewage sludges as well, must be given re-
newed attention to protect public health and the environment and to conserve
natural resources.
As in the past, residential and commercial solid wastes are of particu*
lar concern to municipalities which have borne the major financial and public
health responsibility for their collection and disposal. We now must cope
with some 135 million tons of municipal solid wastes a year, or more than
1 ,200 pounds per person per year of paper, glass, metals, plastics, food
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wastes, and other discards from our homes and businesses. This tonnage
has almost doubled in the past 20 years, and we estimate that it will reach
165 million tons a year by 1985.
The current annual cost of solid waste managerner. > \<3 about $3.5 billion.
Moreover, these costs are expected to increase substantially as relatively
inexpensive disposal options continue to disappear. Collecticn and disposal
costs are projected to increase from an average of $26 per ton in 1974 to
$50 per ton in 1985.
Most of this municipal waste ends up on the land. There are some
18 ,500 known land disposal sites in the United States . Some masquerade
as sanitary landfills, but fewer than 6,000 of them meet the requirements
of State regulations and there are unknown numbers of open dumps .
Moreover, recent investigation gives us good reason to question whether
the sanitary landfill which does comply with current standards of good practice
is really good enough. We are now intensifying study to determine how we
can best protect groundwater supplies from leachate damage.
Municipal wastewater sludges is another waste category that is growing
rapidly because of increased environmental controls in other areas; in this
case, the upgrading of wastewater treatment facilities to control v/ater pollution.
Currently, sewage sludge is being generated at the rate of about five million
dry tons a year, and by 1985, this quantity will have doubled.
The shortage of landfill sites, the rising costs of commercial fertilizers
and the increasing quantity of residuals being generated as a result of the
pollution control laws have led to renewed interest in using sewage sludges
as some form of soil conditioner. However, these sludges frequently contain
toxic substances, including heavy metals, which can be introduced directly
or indirectly into the human food chain. While the use of such sludges on
non-food chain crops is generally acceptable, the risks associated with the
uptake of heavy metals make it clear that sewage sludge should be applied
to food-chain crops only after careful testing and evaluation of both the sludge
itself and the soils to which it would be applied.
Additionally, if such sludges are disposed of in a traditional landfill,
there is danger that the heavy metals will be leached into groundwater.
For EPA, identifying means of sludge management that are safe and acceptable
to communities is now a matter of high priority. A guide on the proper use
and disposal of sludges is now under preparation.
The seriousness of disposal problems and the widespread interest
in resource recovery should not obscure the fact, that collection represents
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river 70 percent of the total cost of municipal solid waste management. It
is essential that it be conducted as efficiently as possible.
OSWMP has made significant strides in collection productivity improve
merits through direct technical assistance and through dissemination of many
publications .
Another aspect of solid waste management which increases costs is
the poor safety record in this field . Solid waste collection has the highest
accident frequency of any municipal or industrial job category. Dollar costs
to the Nation of unsafe practices run into several hundred millions per year.
Personal costs to the worker are incalculable. OSWMP has installed a safe: .
reporting system in 100 cities. Based on the data provided by this reporting
system, safety training programs can be designed, and equipment and systems
can be modified to reduce accidents.
The new legislation underscores the fact that measures to conserve
resources can reduce rising expenditures for collection and disposal, can
reduce the difficulties of establishing disposal sites, and reduce the depletion
of natural resources and all the adverse environmental effects associated
with the extraction and processing of virgin materials.
The large technological systems designed to recover energy and
materials from mixed municipal solid wastes have attracted the keen interest
of industry and many local governments. A major part of the EPA resource
recovery program has been devoted to the demonstration of such systems .
Two projects are now essentially completed: the St. Louis project, which
demonstrated production of dry-shredded fuel from solid waste for combustion
with pulverized coal in existing steam-electric boilers, and the Franklin,
Ohio, demonstration of the wet processing of solid waste to recover fiber.
The technology from both these projects is now being utilized in commercial
systems. Other EPA-supported technology demonstrations are being carried
out in Baltimore, San Diego, and Delaware.
While progress is certainly being made--through private as well as
public sponsorship--markets are unpredictable and the technology is not
yet proven to the extent that cities do not need to excercise caution in moving
into resource recovery programs. We believe that Federal involvement in
resource recovery over the next few years should emphasize additional
demonstrations and evaluations. The new legislation would enable us to
carry out such activities.
The recovery of office wastepaper through the participation of individual
employees who set aside this valuable commodity is a growing practice. Some
Federal offices are doing this, and many more will be as guidelines on materials
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recovery, which are mandatory for Federal facilities, begin to take effect
in about a year .
Conservation goals are achieved not only by the recovery of resources
but also by waste reduction measures which can cut down on the generation
of waste through the redesi-- ->f products, through reuse of packaging and
through other alterations in the patterns of production or consumption. The
large and growing category of disposable containers and otho;:r packaging
wastes have been the main focus of EPA activity in waste reduction, although
the principle is applicable to all kinds of products.
After much bickering and travail, we have just issued the Guidelines
on Beverage Containers, which require all beer and carbonated soft drinks
sold on Federal facilities to carry at least a 5-cent deposit. The object is
to encourage the return of containers for refilling or recycling, thereby
reducing litter and solid waste while conserving materials and energy. A
limited test of the guidelines in Yosemite National Park, plus the experiences
of Oregon and Vermont with statewide mandatory deposit laws, make us
fairly confident of overall positive results from the guidelines.
The new legislation would enable us to find out more about waste
reduction opportunities and other options, such as market inhibitions to
conservation.
One such problem is the failure of the free market to reflect collection
and disposal costs in the price of products. This means that production
and consumption decisions regarding material input, product design, and
level of consumption are made without reference to the social value of resource
conservation opportunities.
Among the possible economic incentives for conservation is the tax
credit for users of secondary materials. Proposals for a recycling tax credit
were defeated in Congress this year. Opponents of the proposal include
environmentalists and tax reform groups who see it as a further distortion
of the tax system and as one which would provide a windfall to firms already
recycling. In the Senate, those opposing the recycling tax credit substituted
a provision instructing EPA and the Treasury Department to work together
in identifying the incentive or disincentive approach most likely to succeed.
We have recently met with Treasury and hope to reach a joint position in
the near future.
I am particularly pleased to say that the new legislation endorses and
would help us improve our technical information and public education efforts
which have been an enduring foundation of our work at the Federal level
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ever since 1965 when the first national solid waste management legislation
was enacted. Then as now, it was clear that the prime responsibility for
proper solid waste management rests with State and local levels of government
and with industry. All our activities have been directed toward providing
a variety of tools so that States, local governments and industry can do the
job . Over the lifetime of the program, more than 800 publications and articles
have been developed and disseminated for the use of public officials and
the scientific, academic, technical and lay communities. Moreover, the
solid waste information retrieval system (SWIRS), an automated information
system which scans, abstracts and stores solid waste management articles
from all the published literature of the free world, provides search service.-,
to anyone concerned with any aspect of the solid waste management field.
I suggest, by the way, that anyone here who is not acquainted with these
information services stop by our booth before this conference has ended.
The new legislation would also enable us to expand general public
understanding of the basic changes which must occur if we are to make re" ;
progress in this field. Our efforts in public education include cooperativ-
projects with a variety of public interest, environmental, and industry gro r;
The new legislation will provide increased Federal aid to States , to
strengthen their programs in the areas of hazardous waste control, upgradmg
of land disposal, and planning for sound resource recovery. It has always
been our position that a major key to successfully dealing with solid waste
problems is to strengthen State programs, and within the limitations of our
resources and authorities, we have devoted a substantial amount of our effort.?
in that direction. Ten years ago there were fewer than ten full-time State
employees working on solid waste management. Today, there are over 800
Ten years ago there were almost no identifiable solid waste management
programs in any State health or environmental agency, but now every State
has a program. Well over half the States now have a specific legislative
base for solid waste management activities, and many of them are beginning
to add hazardous waste and resource recovery amendments to their legislation.
As i suggested at the beginning of this talk, there is a continuum in
the evolution of our society's efforts to deal more intelligently with solid
waste. Whether new legislation is enacted in this session of Congress or
later, ongoing efforts on the part of governments and industry will continue
to be relevant.
In light of this I believe it would be useful for me to conclude by citing
some of the highlights of of our current activities .
In FY 1977 we will have completed the studies of hazardous waste generation
and management practices of 15 industries, and the analyses of the data from
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those studies. Results will begin to emerge from work that has been under
way for several years on the problems of leachate generation from land disposal
sites . Of particular interest, I believe, will be the completion of a report
on the use of liners for landfills, a report on remote sensing for disposal
sites, and a report on leacha*** from sewage sludge disposal sites . The results
of this work, which are soon to be made available, are part of what we regard
as our continuing mandate to carry out problem characterization efforts .
Our control technology efforts for land disposal of wastes in Fiscal
Year 1977 include the completion of a series of studies on the application
of commercial-scale incinerators, the destruction of some 14 different types
of hazardous wastes, the completion of the assessment of chemical treatment
methods for waste pesticides, and the report of the findings of a project
in which composted sewage sludges and wood wastes are used to produce
a soil conditioner.
In the land disposal area, investigations of six existing leachate treat-
ment facilities will be completed and the rep>ort issued, as well as a report on
the design and performance of gas control systems for land disposal sites . A
site for a large chemical and disposal demonstration project in Minnesota
will be selected.
Major guidance projects in FY 77 include the development and issuance
of a Hazardous Waste Management Decision-Makers Guide, and the promul-
gation in the Federal Register of four guidance documents on: hazardous
waste transportation, use of public lands for disposal, management aspects
of hazardous waste facilities, and a model State hazardous waste statute.
By the end of FY 77 the existing Sanitary Landfill Design and Operation
Manual will be revised and reissued; the results of approximately three years'
effort on monitoring.techniques for land disposal sites will be completed, and
a manual for site monitoring procedures will be issued.
A report will be issued on the use of sludge in the production of turf
grass, another on the availability of non-food chain markets for sludge utili-
zation, plus a decision guide for assisting communities in evaluating sludge
management options.
Technical assistance activities in FY 77 will include a number of semi-
nars symposiums, and conferences which will present the latest findings on
solid waste management to assist industry, government officials, and repre-
sentatives of the public in finding solutions to their problems.
In our refuse collection efforts we are working to improve the produc-
tivity of waste collection and to decrease the severity and numbers of injuries
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which occur in collection operations . The existing Collection and Manage-
ment Information System (COLMIS) provides information which is used to
identify and correct inefficient and costly practices. This technique has
been in application for several years. During FY 77 this system will be
refined and improved in order to make it even more useful to collection systen
operators .
OSWMP began a series of studies on the problems of injuries in so''; .'."•
waste management about six years ago. From those efforts has emerged an
injury- reporting information system (IRIS) which I referred to earlier.
During FY 77 we will complete the operation of the 100-city IRIS network
and report the findings. We are confident that these and other cities w;.
continue to utilize IRIS on their own.
Major program efforts directed toward the goal of resource conse^'v alv:v
are technology and markets development for energy and materials recover*- '
from waste, technical assistance to receptor groups to advance the adopt'-
of resource conservation systems, and measures to reduce the amounts o;
wastes generated .
In FY 77 the eight-volume series of resource recovery implements f-J ;>
guides will be completed, as well as the final reports and analyses of the
St. Louis refuse-derived fuel project. Operation of the Baltimore pyrolys .
demonstration project will be continued, and evaluations of the system w;i
begin. The San Diego pyrolysis plant will begin operation and evaluation/.
will begin . The methane-recovery-from-landfill project in Moxintain Vies? .
California, will be completed and the final report published . The Franki:*;
Ohio, materials recovery demonstration project will be finished and the reo
on glass and aluminum recovery will be completed; the mid-project reports
on the Somerville and Marblehead, Massachusetts, home separation and nia;.: •
recovery demonstration projects will be published .
OSWMP has provided limited financial assistance to several communitU-:
to help them bridge the gap between planning and implementation of resou: :••••: .•<•
recovery systems. In FY 77, six of these communities will complete their
projects and should begin full implementation of resource recovery imp lemon
tation plans . A model State resource recovery act will be developed and
issued. Technical assistance will be provided to a minimum of six cities
which are in the procurement stage of resource recovery implementation,
as well as to Federal agencies to assist them in the implementation of the
resource recovery guidelines.
EPA has promulgated the following resource recovery guidelines: Sour
Resource Recovery Facilities, and Beverage Containers. Thes
ce
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guidelines are mandatory for the Federal government, and during FY 77 each
Federal agency must determine how it will meet guideline requirements .
OSWMP will be assisting these agencies in the conduct of their studies and
evaluations. In addition, during FY 77, the Fourth Annual Report to
Congress on Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction will be issued.
Since the inception of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, OSWMP has
invested a major portion of its budget in providing assistance to State solid
waste management agencies. During FY 77, our assistance to States will
continue for their planning of vigorous solid waste management programs.
During FY 77, OSWMP will develop and disseminate over 100 publi-
cations, journal articles, films, tapes, speeches, and press releases.
The war against waste will go on. Reality dictates that our country
must improve waste reduction practices, must change the habits that have
kept us from recycling the waste stream and have allowed us to condone
disposal practices which threaten public health and the environment.
And the war must be won.
It must be won for reasons which Russell Train, the Administrator
of EPA, expressed earlier this month when he appeared before the Portland
City Club in Portland, Oregon, and which I am pleased to quote:
"I hope that our energy, our economic and our environmental
experience over the past few years has made us sufficiently
aware that the abundant resources of this land are not only
ours to consume, but ours to conserve—and that they will
remain ours to consume only as long as we have the good
sense to conserve them. I hope we have finally come to
understand that, in the years ahead, our harvest of natural
resources will depend upon our ability to husband those
resources—to be sparing rather than spendthrift, provident
rather than prodigal, in their exploitation and use. If we
understand these things, and act upon them, I see no reason
why we cannot achieve and maintain—at one and the same
time—sufficient energy, a strong economy and a sound
environment."
ua 139.0
SW-549
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