Solid Waste - Term Paper Example

Environmental activists have conducted massive research on the subject of solid waste. To date, many smartly engineered techniques like recycling and composting have been introduced to protect the environmental purity and human population from its toxic effects. There are regulations defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for different types of waste in the Unites States (US). This paper attempts to contemplate what modern literature has to say on the subject from multiple perspectives.

It will also scrutinize different EPA regulations for eradication of solid waste to analyze the extent to which this issue is taken seriously in the best interests of people and global climate. Types of solid waste: There are different types of solid waste which come in all varieties. Some common examples include tires, rubber, plastic products, empty bottles/cans, broken furniture, cylinders, construction debris, and industrial waste etc. Depending on a particular source, solid waste can be divided into domestic, industrial, and biomedical waste.

Each type of waste is interpreted differently and influences our environment differently. Also, different regulation policies are identified for each type depending on its specific nature. Household waste is considered MSW. Some kinds of industrial waste are known as hazardous waste, while biomedical waste whose source is healthcare facilities is considered infectious waste. Industrial waste is considered very harmful and is made up of chemicals and metal mostly (The Energy and Resources Institute, 2007).

Biomedical waste includes wasted stuff like gloves, sheets, plastic, disposables, chemicals, swabs, syringes, human waste etc.. This genre of solid waste is generated during surgeries, research, and treatment processes. This is the most infectious of all types of solid waste and poses a serious threat to humanity if not effectively managed as often as necessary in a certified manner. Given the high rate of infectious disposition of biomedical waste, it is assumed that 1 kg of every 4 kg of hospital waste contains infectious materials (TERI, 2007).

Timely management of solid waste is critical important as otherwise, the risk of dangerous infections swiftly reaches a worrisome rate. Regulations by EPA for each type of solid waste: Many regulations have been made in the area of public law to properly manage both hazardous and nonhazardous solid waste. This identifies that law enforcement agencies significantly acknowledge how untreated waste can threaten the environment. The job of EPA is to keep track of the amount of trash produced, recycled, and composted each year in America in addition to generating a detailed report on this subject.

It is claimed that in the year 2011, about 250 millions of MSW alone was generated by Americans and only 87 millions of it got recycled and composted which identifies a recycling rate of 34.7% (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Solid waste generated by house can often be harmful. So, household waste exemption is an important regulation for the solid waste management by EPA. It is literally impossible for EPA to monitor every house in every US state which may occasionally throw a bucket of paint or a bottle of acidic contents outside.

So, houses are exempted from application of Subtitle C but the solid waste produced by them is still regulated under Subtitle D. The principal objective of Subtitle D is to promote “