SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT [PUBLIC LAW 89-272-89TH CONGRESS, S. 306, APPROVED OCTOBER 20, 1965] AN ACT To authorize a research and development program with respect to solid-waste disposal, and for other purposes. TITLE II-SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SHORT TITLE note SEC. 201. This title (hereinafter referred to as "this 42 U.S.C. 3251 Act") may be cited as the "Solid Waste Disposal Act". FINDINGS AND PURPOSES SEC. 202. (a) The Congress finds— (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 of 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 inefficient and improper methods of disposal of solid wastes result in scenic blights, create serious hazards to the public health, including pollution of air and water resources, accident hazards, and increase in rodent and insect vectors of disease, have an adverse effect on land values, create public 42 U.S.C. 3251 42 U.S.C. 3252 nuisances, otherwise interfere with community life and development; (5) that the failure or inability to salvage and reuse such materials economically results in the unnecessary waste and depletion of our natural resources; and (6) 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) The purposes of this Act therefore are (1) to promote the demonstration, construction, and application of solid waste management and resource recovery systems which preserve and enhance the quality or air, water, and land resources; (2) to provide technical and financial assistance to States and local governments and interstate agencies in the planning and development of resource recovery and solid waste disposal programs; (3) to promote a national research and development program for improved management techniques, more effective organizational arrangements, and new and improved methods of collection, separation, recovery, and recycling of solid wastes, and the environmentally safe disposal of nonrecoverable residues; (4) to provide for the promulgation of guidelines for solid waste collection, transport, separation, recovery, and disposal systems; and (5) to provide for training grants in occupations involving the design, operation, and maintenance of solid waste disposal systems. DEFINITIONS SEC. 203. When used in this Act: (1) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; except that such term means the Secretary of the Interior with respect to problems of solid waste resulting from the extraction, processing, or utilization of minerals or fossil fuels where the generation, production, or reuse of such waste is or |