What standards does the EPA impose through the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act?

• A. Flexible guidelines with no enforcement
• B. Strict standards through tracking and permitting
• C. Uniform standards for large corporations
• D. No standards exist under RCRA

Answer: (B)

The important idea is that RCRA creates enforceable, cradle-to-grave controls for hazardous waste management. The EPA imposes strict standards and enforces them through two main mechanisms: a tracking system and a permitting system. The tracking (manifest) system follows each hazardous waste shipment from generator to transporter to receiving facility, ensuring the waste is properly handled at every step. The permitting system requires treatment, storage, and disposal facilities to obtain permits and meet detailed operating and design standards, with requirements around containment, closure, financial assurance, training, and reporting. This combination makes the standards enforceable and traceable, not just flexible guidelines, and applies to the parties involved in generation, transport, and management of hazardous waste.