Municipal and Industrial Waste Disposal

• Waste is categorized as either hazardous and nonhazardous, and is derived from residential or industrial sources. The EPA regulates waste disposal standards, practices and methods under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 40. Municipal landfills, combustion and transfer stations as well as recycling, source reduction and composting are approved methods for nonhazardous waste disposal. Hazardous waste disposal also includes combustion and incineration in boilers and furnaces and the use of specialized landfills.
  
  

Recycling and Waste Recovery

• Recycling is a waste reduction method that is used to convert hazardous and nonhazardous waste materials into new resources or new products. Recycling is one of the main components of waste recovery because it has the potential to create new goods and services that have market profitability. Recycling also helps to sustain the environment, conserve natural resources and save energy. Other methods for waste recovery include metal, fuel and energy recovery.
  
  

RCRA

• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the legislation that authorizes the EPA to carry out its responsibility to manage hazardous waste. One area that the RCRA addresses is waste recovery; it also requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop markets for recovered resources. Developing waste recovery markets for the purpose of economic growth and profit is just as important as the environmental benefits that result from this practice. According to data taken by the EPA, about 5 percent of all hazardous waste materials were recovered in 2007 and 33 percent of nonhazardous waste was recovered in 2008. More waste is disposed of than is recovered, and the Secretary of Commerce is also authorized by the RCRA to develop new uses for recovered materials.
  
  

Recovered Materials

• Materials that are used for recycling and recovery include consumer electronics, wood, food waste, paper, aluminum, glass, plastics, batteries and disaster debris; household hazardous waste is also included in this category. Each of these materials and substances can be used for economic, energy and environmental benefits when they are properly recovered and transformed into new products or destroyed completely.