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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 6901. Congressional findings
(a) Solid waste
The Congress finds with respect to solid waste -
(1) that the continuing technological progress and improvement
in methods of manufacture, packaging, and marketing of consumer
products has resulted in an ever-mounting increase, and in a
change in the characteristics, of the mass material discarded by
the purchaser of such products;
(2) that the economic and population growth of our Nation, and
the improvements in the standard of living enjoyed by our
population, have required increased industrial production to meet
our needs, and have made necessary the demolition of old
buildings, the construction of new buildings, and the provision
of highways and other avenues of transportation, which, together
with related industrial, commercial, and agricultural operations,
have resulted in a rising tide of scrap, discarded, and waste
materials;
(3) that the continuing concentration of our population in
expanding metropolitan and other urban areas has presented these
communities with serious financial, management,
intergovernmental, and technical problems in the disposal of
solid wastes resulting from the industrial, commercial, domestic,
and other activities carried on in such areas;
(4) that while the collection and disposal of solid wastes
should continue to be primarily the function of State, regional,
and local agencies, the problems of waste disposal as set forth
above have become a matter national in scope and in concern and
necessitate Federal action through financial and technical
assistance and leadership in the development, demonstration, and
application of new and improved methods and processes to reduce
the amount of waste and unsalvageable materials and to provide
for proper and economical solid waste disposal practices.
(b) Environment and health
The Congress finds with respect to the environment and health,
that -
(1) although land is too valuable a national resource to be
needlessly polluted by discarded materials, most solid waste is
disposed of on land in open dumps and sanitary landfills;
(2) disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste in or on the
land without careful planning and management can present a danger
to human health and the environment;
(3) as a result of the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.],
the Water Pollution Control Act [33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.], and
other Federal and State laws respecting public health and the
environment, greater amounts of solid waste (in the form of
sludge and other pollution treatment residues) have been created.
Similarly, inadequate and environmentally unsound practices for
the disposal or use of solid waste have created greater amounts
of air and water pollution and other problems for the environment
and for health;
(4) open dumping is particularly harmful to health,
contaminates drinking water from underground and surface
supplies, and pollutes the air and the land;
(5) the placement of inadequate controls on hazardous waste
management will result in substantial risks to human health and
the environment;
(6) if hazardous waste management is improperly performed in
the first instance, corrective action is likely to be expensive,
complex, and time consuming;
(7) certain classes of land disposal facilities are not capable
of assuring long-term containment of certain hazardous wastes,
and to avoid substantial risk to human health and the
environment, reliance on land disposal should be minimized or
eliminated, and land disposal, particularly landfill and surface
impoundment, should be the least favored method for managing
hazardous wastes; and
(8) alternatives to existing methods of land disposal must be
developed since many of the cities in the United States will be
running out of suitable solid waste disposal sites within five
years unless immediate action is taken.
(c) Materials
The Congress finds with respect to materials, that -
(1) millions of tons of recoverable material which could be
used are needlessly buried each year;
(2) methods are available to separate usable materials from
solid waste; and
(3) the recovery and conservation of such materials can reduce
the dependence of the United States on foreign resources and
reduce the deficit in its balance of payments.
(d) Energy
The Congress finds with respect to energy, that -
(1) solid waste represents a potential source of solid fuel,
oil, or gas that can be converted into energy;
(2) the need exists to develop alternative energy sources for
public and private consumption in order to reduce our dependence
on such sources as petroleum products, natural gas, nuclear and
hydroelectric generation; and
(3) technology exists to produce usable energy from solid
waste.
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