Rethinking recycling.
I. INTRODUCTION II. A RCRA PRIMER III. THE PROBLEM OF RECYCLING UNDER RCRA A. Statutory Jurisdiction over Recyclable Materials B. No Clear Economic Indicia of Waste C. No Clear Environmental Indicia of Wastes D. The Complexity of Industrial Recycling Activity E. Competing Objectives of RCRA IV. EPA's CURRENT TREATMENT...

Revisiting a hazardous waste site 25 years later.
Introduction Twenty-five years ago, the Journal of Environmental Health published one of the earliest articles to report illegal disposal of hazardous waste (Harris, Garlock, LeSeur, Mesinger, & Wexler, 1982). Two years earlier (1980), Congress had enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), which established...

Hazardous waste recycling under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: problems and potential solutions.
I. Introduction When Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)(1) in 1976, one of its primary objectives was "assuring that hazardous waste management practices are conducted in a manner which protects human health and the environment."(2) As the laws name implies, Congress also wanted to...

A typical case study: solid waste management in petroleum refineries.
INTRODUCTION There is a four fold increase in natural calamities in last two decades reported in press due to increase in pollution levels that is major concern for the future sustainable growth for man and its habitat. The mammoth growth of petroleum products processing have resulted in...

Air emissions standards and guidelines under the Clean Air Act for the incineration of hospital, medical, and infectious waste.
I. INTRODUCTION Approximately 2400 hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators (HMIWIs) operate in the United States, and they combust about 846,000 tons of hospital/medical/infectious waste (HMIW) each year.(1) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that there are approximately 1139 small, 692 medium, and 463 large HMIWIs, as well as 79...

All mixed up about mixed waste.
I. INTRODUCTION Since the Manhattan Project, (1) knowledge and use of nuclear technology has increased dramatically. (2) Today, this technology is used not only to make weapons, but for civilian projects such as producing energy and advancing research in medicine. (3) Unfortunately, the enthusiasm for developing uses...

When plain language may not be plain: whether CERCLA's preclusion of pre-enforcement judicial review is limited to actions under CERCLA.
I. INTRODUCTION During the past three decades, Congress has passed numerous laws designed to meet a variety of environmental problems. The same environmental problem may be subject to several different statutes dictating conflicting solutions. For example, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup is an area that is controlled...

Race, environmental justice, and interest group mobilizations: hazardous waste and the case of Sumter County, Alabama.
Over the past two decades, the issue of hazardous waste has ranked as a serious issue in the United States. Each year, approximately 275 million metric tons of hazardous waste is generated in the United States (Faupel, Bailey, Griffin, 1991). However, environmental regulations only regulate 40 million tons of...

Beyond Siting: Implementing Voluntary Hazardous Waste Siting Agreements in Canada.
Among those concerned with Canadian and American environmental policies, "more democracy" has become a rallying cry. Many analyses of environmental programs and institutions have attributed policy failures to inadequate public engagement and involvement. Following such assessment, recommendations for policy reform frequently have embraced extended provisions for public participation and...

Solid waste management in petroleum refineries.
INTRODUCTION The high rate of growth of petroleum products processing have resulted in the generation of enormous amount of waste that poses a serious threat to environmental quality on the mother earth and its inhabitants. The depletion of natural resources reinforces the need to utilize the reminder...