,350 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
which specific steps are spelled out for manufacturers who wish to produce a new
product.
CONCLUSIONSolid waste statutory law developed rather rapidly once the public, along with scien-
tists and engineers, realized the real and potential impacts of improper disposal. Air,
land, and water quality from such disposal became a key concern to local health offi-
cials and federal and state regulators. Hazardous and nonhazardous solid wastes are
now regulated under a complex system of federal and state statutes that place operating
requirements on facility operators.
The effectiveness of these statutes is somewhat in doubt. How will the EPA imple-
ment RCRA in all cases? If states are given the responsibility to control hazardous and
nonhazardous waste within their boundaries, how will they respond? Will the ‘3oint
and several liability” provision of Superfund, which makes any and all waste disposers
at a site liable irrespective of the amount of waste for which they are responsible, stale-
mate its implementation? Since September 11,2001, we also ask who is responsible if
a deliberate attack creates a Superfund site. In the end, what will be the public health,
environmental quality, and economic impacts of RCRA and the Superfund?PROBLEMS17.1 Local land use ordinances often play key roles in limiting the number of sites
available for a solid or hazardous waste disposal facility. Discuss the types of these
zoning restrictions that apply in your home town.
17.2 Assume you work for a firm that contracts to clean the inside and outside
of factories and office buildings in the state capitol. Your boss thinks she could make
more money by expanding her business to include the handling and transportation of
hazardous wastes generated by her current clients. Outline the types of data you must
collect to advise her to expand or not expand.
17.3 Laws that govern refuse collection often begin with controls on the generator,
i.e., rules that each household must follow if city trucks are to pick up their solid waste.
If you are asked by a town council to develop a set of such “household rules,’’ what
controls would you include? Emphasize public health concerns, minimizing the cost
of collection, and even resource recovery considerations.
17.4 The oceans have long been viewed as bottomless pits into which the solid
wastes of the world may be dumped. Engineers, scientists, and politicians are divided
on the issue. Should ocean disposal be banned? Develop arguments pro and con.