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Hazardous Waste Disposal Methods: Major Problems With Their Use

CED-81-21 Published: Nov 19, 1980. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 1980.
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Highlights

GAO was asked to study alternative methods of disposal and cleanup of hazardous wastes. Specifically, the study looked into the: (1) environmental and cost effectiveness of hazardous waste disposal on the land, deep well injection, and high temperature incineration and the need for additional research and development in these areas; (2) establishment of facilities on a regional or areawide basis as opposed to an individual company's basis; and (3) hazardous waste regulations recently promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator of EPA should (1) set priorities through regulation of the preferred sequence by which the various disposal methods should be applied to encourage the States and industry to work toward a reduction in the use of on-the-land disposal as the predominant disposal method; (2) identify additional areas of the country suitable for the deep well disposal of hazardous wastes (EPA designated Class I wells) and, where appropriate, encourage industry to use deep well disposal as a hazardous waste disposal alternative; (3) encourage the development of high temperature burning facilities, in conjunction with the States and selected industries, in various areas of the country to better show their long-term cost advantages and environmental viability; (4) prescribe in regulations that regional or areawide disposal facilities be developed in addition to individual company disposal operations; and (5) initiate, in conjunction with the State and local governments, on a county-by-county basis, a comprehensive national inventory of closed and abandoned dump sites of the type recently completed by the State of New York. The inventory would be used to assess the total economic and environmental costs of past hazardous waste disposal.
Closed – Not Implemented
The recommendations are no longer valid in most of the cases. Funding has been provided to develop a comprehensive national inventory resulting from additional work on CED-82-91, dated June 2, 1982.

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Topics

Cost effectiveness analysisEnvironmental policiesEnvironmental researchFacility managementFederal regulationsHazardous substancesLand managementPollution controlWaste disposalWaste managementEnvironmental protectionHazardous waste disposalWaste analysis