Abstract
This chapter focuses on management of hazardous waste and pollution control. Improper hazardous waste management is the most serious environmental problem today. In the United States, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, established a comprehensive, national regulatory policy for managing hazardous wastes from cradle to grave. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated methods for determining whether solid wastes must be regulated as hazardous. Wastes are analyzed for certain characteristics at specified levels of hazards. Characteristics considered as classifiers of hazardous waste include toxicity, ignitability, reactivity, and corrosivity. Environmental regulations enacted in 1984 and amendments to the Superfund program discourage landfilling of wastes in favor of remedial methods that will treat or destroy wastes. New alternative technologies seek to destroy, stabilize, or treat hazardous wastes by changing their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics. Control, remediation, and cleanup must be balanced based on the effectiveness of technological techniques and the ultimate action considered in light of the specific situation. Tighter regulations, more environmental concerns, and changes in control and treatment technologies make the hazardous waste cleanup business more and more complicated. New and emerging technologies offer a better approach to solving these problems.
Published Version
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