
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC6902]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 82--SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
 
                    SUBCHAPTER I--GENERAL PROVISIONS
 
Sec. 6902. Objectives and national policy


(a) Objectives

    The objectives of this chapter are to promote the protection of 
health and the environment and to conserve valuable material and energy 
resources by--
        (1) providing technical and financial assistance to State and 
    local governments and interstate agencies for the development of 
    solid waste management plans (including resource recovery and 
    resource conservation systems) which will promote improved solid 
    waste management techniques (including more effective organizational 
    arrangements), new and improved methods of collection, separation, 
    and recovery of solid waste, and the environmentally safe disposal 
    of nonrecoverable residues;
        (2) providing training grants in occupations involving the 
    design, operation, and maintenance of solid waste disposal systems;
        (3) prohibiting future open dumping on the land and requiring 
    the conversion of existing open dumps to facilities which do not 
    pose a danger to the environment or to health;
        (4) assuring that hazardous waste management practices are 
    conducted in a manner which protects human health and the 
    environment;
        (5) requiring that hazardous waste be properly managed in the 
    first instance thereby reducing the need for corrective action at a 
    future date;
        (6) minimizing the generation of hazardous waste and the land 
    disposal of hazardous waste by encouraging process substitution, 
    materials recovery, properly conducted recycling and reuse, and 
    treatment;
        (7) establishing a viable Federal-State partnership to carry out 
    the purposes of this chapter and insuring that the Administrator 
    will, in carrying out the provisions of subchapter III of this 
    chapter, give a high priority to assisting and cooperating with 
    States in obtaining full authorization of State programs under 
    subchapter III of this chapter;
        (8) providing for the promulgation of guidelines for solid waste 
    collection, transport, separation, recovery, and disposal practices 
    and systems;
        (9) promoting a national research and development program for 
    improved solid waste management and resource conservation 
    techniques, more effective organizational arrangements, and new and 
    improved methods of collection, separation, and recovery, and 
    recycling of solid wastes and environmentally safe disposal of 
    nonrecoverable residues;
        (10) promoting the demonstration, construction, and application 
    of solid waste management, resource recovery, and resource 
    conservation systems which preserve and enhance the quality of air, 
    water, and land resources; and
        (11) establishing a cooperative effort among the Federal, State, 
    and local governments and private enterprise in order to recover 
    valuable materials and energy from solid waste.

(b) National policy

    The Congress hereby declares it to be the national policy of the 
United States that, wherever feasible, the generation of hazardous waste 
is to be reduced or eliminated as expeditiously as possible. Waste that 
is nevertheless generated should be treated, stored, or disposed of so 
as to minimize the present and future threat to human health and the 
environment.

(Pub. L. 89-272, title II, Sec. 1003, as added Pub. L. 94-580, Sec. 2, 
Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2798; amended Pub. L. 98-616, title I, 
Sec. 101(b), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3224.)


                            Prior Provisions

    Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in 
section 3251 of this title, prior to the general amendment of the Solid 
Waste Disposal Act by Pub. L. 94-580.


                               Amendments

    1984--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98-616, Sec. 101(b)(1), designated 
existing provisions as subsec. (a).
    Subsec. (a)(4) to (11). Pub. L. 98-616, Sec. 101(b)(2), struck out 
par. (4) which provided for regulating the treatment, storage, 
transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes which have adverse 
effects on health and the environment, added pars. (4) to (7), and 
redesignated former pars. (5) to (8) as (8) to (11), respectively.
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-616, Sec. 101(b)(1), added subsec. (b).

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 6982 of this title.
