Reference no: EM132196042
The pros and cons of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
This is an amendment to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. It establishes the national goals for the disposal and management of solid and hazardous waste in the country. One of the advantages of the Act is that it has promoted better methods of recycling waste as opposed to dumping thereby playing a major role in controlling the effects that arise due to the dumping of electronic waste that is very dangerous (Solid and Hazardous Waste, 2018). One disadvantage of the Act is that it allows for a very narrow interpretation thereby forcing many States to still rely on the Solid Waste Disposal Act.
Changes that can be made to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Act should be able to list more of the hazardous waste that is causing real danger to the lives of many people in the country. This includes the electronic waste that has become more popular due to the development of more technological inventions. Currently, it lists very few and this has made it very hard for the States and the Federal Government to regulate and deal with the issue of electronic waste effectively (Kahhat & Williams, 2012). With the inclusion of types of waste, the States and countries can be able to handle electronic waste disposal and recycling thereby promoting the effective conservation of the environment.
One action that individuals can take to influence policymaking with regard to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
In order to promote effective policy making involving the Act, individuals should be able to offer their input with regard to how the government should handle the issue of electronic waste in the country. The input is essential as the individuals are the heavy users of the waste in question and their involvement in the policy-making is critical and important. The process of providing their input should be conducted nationwide and the proposals are incorporated into the relevant law and policy.
References
Dale, L. (2015). Environmental Policy. Bridgepoint Education.
Kahhat, R., & Williams, E. (2012). Materials flow analysis of e-waste: Domestic flows and exports of used computers from the United States. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 67, 67-74.
Kahhat, R., Kim, J., Xu, M., Allenby, B., Williams, E., & Zhang, P. (2008). Exploring e-waste management systems in the United States. Resources, conservation and recycling, 52(7), 955-964.